The Ripple Effect
by ILETUDRIVE
Summary: Remember the Dead Ted storyline? Well he's back and you won't believe the problems he's bringing with him. See summary inside.
1. Havoc in Motion

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Babble: This story is an offshoot of the "Dead Ted" idiocy of a few years ago. I've taken the premise, of that, starting with Jason's return to town and taking things from there. 

Care to go back in time with me when Eddie's Angel was going on (Alexis); when Sonny was facing 25 years to drug trafficking because Carly tried to help with Mike and Sorel; when Lucky was brainwashed and the only who knew anything was Emily; when Stefan was faking his death trying to frame Luke; when Gia was hiding from her brother and no one knew the connection?

The cast will be large, the storylines integrated as it is with all of my stories. In the beginning it's a little more focused on the Scooby club with Sonny/Jason thrown in. But the later chapters bring so many more people into the story as I veer away from what the show did. 

People like: Sonny, Carly, Alexis, Jax, V, Luke, Helena, Laura, the Q's, Emily, Zander, Nikolas, Lucky, Elizabeth, Jason, Francis, Johnny, Sorel, Taggert, Dara and well you'd be surprised.

A final thing the first 5 chapters or so have snippets of scenes that did appear on the show. I've tweaked the dialogue sometimes a little, sometimes a lot, and taken the idea the show gave and took it in another direction. By Chapter 6 I believe I've pretty much veered away from the show and it's all me.

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Rating: As of now if you can watch TV you have no problem reading this.

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Distribution: Please ask me first.

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Disclaimer: I own nothing only the right to abuse.

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PLEA: Please let me know what you think, if you like or hate it, either drop me a line here, or email me at **stephanie22304@yahoo.com**. I have several chapters ready to spring on you if anyone wants to read.

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Final Thoughts: If anyone is still reading that is. For anyone who may read my other works on this board and are wondering if I will ever finish them. The answer is yes. The answer is after a horrid 2003, I'm getting back to my writing. All of my stories will be finished and I'll be putting up new chapters of all of my work. This is why you are now getting Ripple, because I'll be working on it as well and that way there won't be a lull on this board.

Thanks for listening and reading. 

Stephanie

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[This story begins on August 21, 2000 when Jason came back the first time, and in the middle of the Dead Ted storyline. So there will be actual dialogue from the show, but a hell of a lot of deviation from it as well.

Key Changes: After the Nurses Ball, where Carly went after A.J., Sonny never took her to the island, and they are not getting along.

Other than that, Alexis is engaged to Ned, Sonny has been arrested because of Carly. Emily is the only one who knows something is wrong with Lucky. That's all for now.]

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 1

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~Docks~

Elizabeth Webber sat on the dock looking out at Spoon Island, she had been sitting there for a long time, trying to deal with the latest bad run-in, in a long list of bad run-ins with Lucky. She was so tired of feeling this way, so tired of getting her hopes up only to see them go splat because of Lucky. Maybe it was time to let go of Lucky entirely.

She began to swing her legs over the murky water of the Port Charles River. She knocked a rock into the river and watched the effect it's intrusion caused on the water. The ripples formed where the rock landed then gradually moved away until it was calm again, at least on the surface anyway. But underneath the surface, the rock was still falling, and there was no telling what kind of damage it would cause.

If she were big on metaphors she would compare herself to the water. The surface she projected to everyone was calm, sometimes serene, with only the occasional deviation or ripple when everything got to be too much for her to bear. She picked up a rock and dropped it in the water to start the ripple action again.

But underneath, she was pure havoc in motion. The fake smile and image she projected day after day, was such an ingrained part of her that it was starting to smother her. She had started to lose her temper today at Kelly's after Lucky had told her again how she should be with Nikolas, and then Emily had followed on his heels with Lucky still loved her. She had snapped back, and both of them had looked at her with such a look of surprise and hurt, that she had immediately stifled her temper, and smiled.

She shook her head it amazed her that no one knew she was pretending. That in fact she was angry and lying to everyone all the time. Who knew she was such a good liar? She smirked she wished she had been this good at lying back in her Lizzie days, she would have gotten away with so much more, if she had been.

She laughed softly, she got away with it because no one expected Elizabeth to lie. She glanced up at the darkening sky, when was the last time she hadn't had to pretend? Her face softened into a smile, with Jason.

She glanced back at the bench where he had told her goodbye. He would know she was pretending. He would see through her fake smile in a heartbeat. Who was she kidding if he were here, she probably would have enough guts to stop pretending entirely. God she missed him. She missed riding with him, laughing with him, but most of all she missed talking to him. Losing him had been hard.

__

Jason shifted closer to her on the bench and took her hand. "You're not losing me, I'm just going away."

"Yeah well for how long Jason?" She muttered. She felt a shiver down her back and glanced around, it felt like someone was watching her. She didn't see anyone else on the dock, so she went back to her thoughts. Lucky kept saying that they had changed, maybe he was right. No. He had to be right, he was convinced that she belonged with Nikolas, so he had definitely changed. But she hadn't changed, she was still the same, wasn't she?

She thought about it and let out a laugh. "Well you moved out of Gram's into your studio, you stood up to everyone over your friendship with Jason. You let people believe he was your lover to protect him. You were accosted by a crime boss, had a bomb in your studio, treated a gunshot wound, started college, got an F, had a bodyguard." She stopped for breath. "Gee Elizabeth I guess you have changed too."

"And now I'm talking to myself." Elizabeth groaned.

__

"You think your face looks funny when you're taping me up, you should see your face when you're painting something that isn't working." Jason said shifting slowly on the couch keeping one hand on his side, while he did.

"And how do you know it wasn't working?" Elizabeth asked in curiosity, because she had been stuck yesterday.

"You talk to yourself." He told her with a smile.

Her eyes widened in shock. "I do not." God she couldn't have done that.

"Yeah." He nodded. "It was just a little."

She leaned closer, bracing herself. "Well what do I say?" 

"I don't know." Jason shrugged, flinching a little at the pain that movement caused him. "You kind of mutter."

She laughed at the memory, then glanced around again, uneasy all of a sudden. She got to her feet, suddenly aware that it was night and it was getting darker by the minute. She picked up her purse and headed towards her studio. Maybe it was time to try to put another feeling on paper. Anger would be a good one. She started up the stairs, only to come to a stop at the top. She felt eyes on her again, and this time she knew who they belonged too.

"Elizabeth."

She turned around, for her eyes to confirm what she already knew. Jason Morgan was standing by the water's edge, he was dressed in a brown shirt and blue jeans and he was smiling at her.

"Hi."

"Jason." Her smile bloomed across her face, lighting up the evening. She flew off the stairs and ran over to him. He opened his arms and hugged her, lifting her off her feet when he did. "You're back." She tightened her arms around his neck, relishing his embrace. He hadn't held her like this before, she had wasted a lot of time with him.

Unsure of where that thought came from she pulled out of his embrace, but kept her hand on his arm, afraid he might disappear if she let him go. "So where have you been? When did you get back? And does Emily know yet?"

Jason smiled at her. He had missed her a lot while he was gone, he didn't know how much until he looked out the window of the warehouse and saw her sitting on the dock. He'd left Benny behind without a word in his haste to get to her before she left. "Late yesterday and no I have not seen Emily yet."

Thank God he was here. Some of the worry and dread she had been carrying around for weeks had already vanished at the sight of his face. "But I can tell her right? I mean it's not a secret?" She moved her hand down his arm to take his hand. "Because." She broke off her eyes going darker and his hand tightened on hers in response. "Oh God Jason, please you have no idea how amazing it is that you're here right now. Emily really needs you." And so do I.

Jason put his other hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?" He could see from her eyes that something was haunting her.

She wanted so badly to tell him, but she knew it was Emily's story to tell. "All I can say is that a lot has happened. But she really, really misses you. So can I call her?" She smiled up at him begging with her eyes to get her way. "Like now. Please."

He shook his head, he could never say no to her. "Yeah sure."

She reluctantly let go of his hand and dug in her purse for her phone. "I can't believe you're here. This is so incredible." She missed the warmth of his hand, so without thinking she reached out to touch his arm, while she touched re-dial on her phone. "So are you alright? Where have you been?"

Before he could answer, Emily answered the phone and Elizabeth stepped away to talk to her. He studied her, she had changed in the last seven months, and it was more than a new hairstyle. He couldn't help but feel a pang at the loss of her long curly hair. The change was more than just physical, her eyes weren't so haunted anymore, she seemed more confident and comfortable as well. The way she was dressed seemed to show that as well. He glanced at the dark red sleeveless shirt and black pants, it was similar to the outfit she was wearing that night in Jakes. But her attitude tonight was completely different. She looked amazing and he was having a hard time keeping his eyes off of her. He shook his head to clear that thought and focused on her end of the conversation.

"Only the single best thing that could have happened." Elizabeth looked over at him and smiled. "Now trust me, you're going to kick yourself for wasting time on the phone when you could've gotten here faster, so hurry up."

He watched her close the phone and shove it in her purse, he knew something was wrong.

"I cannot wait to see the look on Emily's face when she sees you. She is going to flip."

Jason took her hand, leading her to the bench, he waited for her to sit before he spoke. "Why has she needed me? What's going on?"

Her eyes were guarded. "I'll let Emily tell you."

Jason sighed, he wouldn't push her. "You look different."

"Different?" She repeated making a face. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

He tugged on her hand, shooting her a look. "Definitely good." He studied her face. "You look older somehow."

She flushed lightly, feeling the weight of his stare, her stomach gave a slight lurch. Get a grip Elizabeth, this is just Jason. "Well I am older."

"I haven't been gone that long."

"Yes you have." She said quietly before going on in a rush. "A haircut, I guess a new attitude. Lord knows I needed one."

"I don't know." He shifted on the bench moving closer. "I like the old Elizabeth Webber." He had left a girl, whom he had been thinking about too much and returned to find a woman. A woman that he already knew he would think about even more.

"I'm still the same brat I always was." She didn't remember having so much trouble breathing when she had sat beside him before. Nervous of his close scrutiny of her she changed the subject. "Do you remember when we sat here and you said goodbye and I said, 'No. I'll see you later'?" She laced her fingers with his. "I knew I'd see you again."

"I thought about you a lot." He admitted. She hadn't stopped touching him since she saw him, not that he minded. "How's your painting? Was your professor better than the first guy you had?" He frowned remembering the night he had found her so upset because the professor had hated her work. He had blocked a lot of that night from his memory, but he could still remember her pain.

She shrugged. "Well he seemed to like me better, so that's good, and I'm learning new techniques."

"Do you like what you're painting now?" There was still a hint of sadness in her eyes and he wondered the cause.

"Sometimes." She grinned at him. "I still think my painting of the wind is the best I've ever done." That's because it was for Jason. She shook her head clearing the thought. She shifted on the bench so she was facing him, their clasped hands resting on her knee when she brought her right leg up to cross a foot under her knee. "I've bet you've seen the wind in a lot of different places, right?"

Jason reached out and brushed a stray strand of her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. Her skin felt so soft under his fingers. He was used to touching her hand, not her face. "No I've only seen the wind with you." His finger lingered on her skin for another minute before he let it drop. "But I have been a lot of places."

Just breathe. You suck your stomach and air in and then you push it out. That was how you breathed. She had been doing it for almost 19 years so why was she having problems remembering how to do it now? Feelings she didn't know she was capable of having were exploding inside of her, and all he had done was lightly brush her cheek. She forced her attention back on the conversation. "Like where? Did you make it to Italy? They say the light in Italy is different than anywhere else in the world."

"No. I didn't make it to Italy, so I'll have to take your word for that."

She shifted again moving closer to him on the bench, she couldn't believe he was here. She didn't remember the last time she had felt so happy. "Then where did you go?" She backtracked remembering that he didn't like a lot of questions. "Besides Minnesota. When Emily got that postcard, we sat around for weeks trying to figure out why you'd go there."

Arsonist. A.J. Carly. Michael. "I was looking for someone." He said simply.

"Oh." Her eyes were bright with curiosity but she let it drop.

"I found him in Indiana." He always seemed to answer questions with her that he would ignore from other people. "After that I started traveling for fun, just seeing whatever I wanted to see."

Elizabeth sighed wistfully. "I can't wait to do that. To go anyplace I'd like."

He could hear the sadness in her voice. "Have you been okay?"

It was funny how four little words could bring her down. Jason, her friend, the only one she could be fully honest with was back in town, and to tell the truth, she didn't want to get into the whole Lucky situation with him. Not yet. She had missed him so much, she'd rather just sit and listen to him talk. "I've been fine. So where else did you go?"

"Elizabeth." Jason said with a sigh.

She rolled her eyes. "I forgot for a minute." He looked at her in puzzlement. "I forgot that you're the only one who sees through me, and calls me on my pretending."

"Why are you pretending?" He thought she had stopped doing that. He knew what happened to her when she pretended too much, and the pressure got to her. She went looking for a release and it wasn't always in a good way.

"It's been difficult since Lucky came home." She admitted finally, turning her head to look at the water.

"Lucky?" He repeated in shock.

"You didn't know?" She thought sure Sonny would have told him, to ease his mind. Although they had never discussed it, she knew he felt some guilt over the fact Lucky had died in his building. The same type of guilt she used to feel because she was the one that had given Lucky the candles she thought had killed him. It was useless and it had no merit but it was still there.

"He's alive?" Jason asked stunned. A sense of relief and a sense of trepidation moved through him. Relief that his friend wasn't dead and that Elizabeth had her love back. Trepidation because he had started to have feelings for her. Those feelings were one of the reasons that he had come home to Port Charles. Seeing her tonight had only solidified them for him.

"Yeah." She focused on his face. "Turns out he was kidnapped by Faison and the body they found was somebody else. It was put there to make us think it was Lucky." She shook her head. It still seemed a little unreal to her. "I guess Helena Cassadine figured out he was alive and rescued him."

He wondered why she still seemed sad, when Lucky was alive, it didn't make sense, unless. "Is he okay?"

"He's alive." She said immediately running her hand through her hand before speaking. "He seems alright." She pulled away from him and moved to the water's edge. That wasn't fair. Lucky was alive, alright, and not in love with her anymore.

"Then why are you upset?" Jason asked standing beside her but keeping his eyes on the water.

"Let's not do this now. You're back for the first time in over seven months and I would rather talk about anything than Lucky." Elizabeth said brightly pasting a smile on her face.

Jason glanced over at her and waited.

She turned back to the water with a sigh.

Elizabeth was quiet for so long that he was about to let it go. He knew she would tell him eventually. That was the way their relationship worked, she could tell him anything, and normally did. It had started with that first meeting in Jakes and in the months that followed they only got closer. Even though he had been gone for over seven months, he was amazed at how easy it was to pick back up where they had left off. Like only a night had passed. Everything was the same except for one thing. He was more aware of her as a woman than he had ever been.

He focused on the water, he had begun to develop feelings for her, feelings that went beyond friendship, after he was shot. He could still remember the first time he really thought about her that way. It was a couple of days after he was shot. She was checking him for a fever and her hands were cold so she pressed her cheek on his forehead. She smelled like snow, pure and sweet. His feelings for her seemed to grow and change the entire time he stayed with her in the studio, but he also knew it was too soon for them to act on them. She was still in mourning, and he was dealing with Sonny and Carly's betrayal. But he also knew that had he stayed around those feelings would have only gotten stronger and stronger. Coming face to face with her tonight convinced him, that his feelings had grown, even when he was away from her. It was an unsettling realization for him because Lucky was back now.

"Do you remember how you used to find me, all sad and missing Lucky?" She broke the silence, keeping her face averted from him. "You'd sit and listen while I told you how perfect our love was and how it would last forever."

"Yeah I remember."

"Well," she turned to face him. "It didn't."

Jason turned as well, that explained the sadness. "When did he come home?"

"The end of April." She clasped her arms around her waist. "You know at first I didn't want to believe he was alive. I didn't want to hope only to lose him again."

"That makes sense." He said quietly.

"Except that's what happened anyway." She turned to look at the water again. "Lucky's alive, but he doesn't love me anymore."

Jason reached over and pulled her into an embrace, her arms looped his waist, and he rested his chin on her head. "I'm sorry about that."

"I love him as much as ever." She said softly, but did she? She banished the thought and went on. "When he was gone I had to pretend I didn't miss him, and now that he's alive I have to pretend that I don't love him." His chest muffled her words, but he didn't let her go, and she pulled him closer still. "I'm so sick of faking how I feel. I'm just so tired of it."

"You don't have to fake anything with me."

She pulled back to look up at him. "You're still the only person who makes me feel I don't have too." She told him before moving back to rest her head on his chest.

They stared at the water, both taking comfort in the embrace, an embrace that went on too long, to be just an embrace between friends. Darkness had fallen around them, the water was a dark void, and the only way you knew it was there was the sound it made when it lapped up against the dock. Neither one seemed to want to break the silence or the embrace.

"Jason?"

Jason let go of Elizabeth reluctantly, turning to face his sister. "Hey."

"Jason." Emily cried running towards him relief in seeing him, made her eyes tear up.

"Whoa." Jason caught her automatically, turning his head meeting Elizabeth's eyes in concern. She just shook her head and moved over to them.

"Oh my God. Never, never go away. Promise me." Emily begged pulling back from him.

"Hold on." Jason framed her face in his hands, seeing her tears, when he did. "What's wrong?"

"Everything is wrong. I mean Sonny got arrested, Carly lost her baby, Grandfather's trying to get Michael back." Emily rambled.

"Slow down." Jason said waving her words off. "What's going on with you right now?"

Emily sighed heavily. "I wish you would have been here."

"Here for what?" He asked Emily before turning to look at Elizabeth. Something had happened and from the way they were acting it had to be something bad. "Will one of you tell me what is going on? I can't help until I know."

Emily looked to Elizabeth in question, Elizabeth nodded in her head in encouragement. "I needed you Jason, it all started when…"

"Hey everybody, what's going on?" Lucky Spencer called walking up to the trio. "Jason it's great to see you."

Jason was close enough to Elizabeth that he felt her response to seeing Lucky. Tension had caused her body to jerk upright, breaking contact with his. He glanced at her and saw the wary look in her eyes, when she faced Lucky. "Yeah." He replied studying Lucky, he looked so different it was hard to believe that it was the same Lucky Spencer. "You too."

"When did you get back?" Lucky shifted subtly edging Emily behind him so he faced Jason.

"Last night." Now he could read the uncertainty on Emily's face. What was going on?

"It's great to see you, but we all have to get going." Lucky said.

"Lucky I was just about too…" Emily began touching his arm.

Lucky cut her off. "I'm sure you have a lot of family stuff you need to fill him in on, but can't it wait? We need to get to Kelly's."

"Lucky." Elizabeth stepped closer. "Emily has really missed Jason, this is the first time they've seen each other." She explained slowly, trying to reach him, he was acting odd again. "I think they need to catch up."

"Well it's not like he's going anywhere right?" Lucky snapped at her.

That was enough for Jason and he moved closer to Lucky. "You know I'll walk Emily over when were done. Kelly's isn't going anywhere either."

Lucky's eyes widened in surprise at the challenge in Jason's words. He had gotten used to the kid glove treatment, that most people seemed to use on him. He didn't like it but sometimes it came in handy. He squinted in the dim light focusing on Jason's calm face. He wouldn't get the kid glove treatment from Jason, he could see that already. A feeling of anger coursed through him, when he saw how close Elizabeth was standing to Jason. She was standing beside Jason when she should be beside him, he shook his head, beside Nikolas. "See the thing is." Lucky said suddenly aware of the silence. "It's kind of important."

"Lucky." Elizabeth tried again, putting her hand on his arm.

Lucky shrugged it off. "Don't make a big deal about this Elizabeth." _Elizabeth belongs with Nikolas._ "Beside Nikolas is there waiting for you."

Elizabeth groaned stepping back from him in disgust, not this again. "And your point is?"

"Elizabeth you be…"

"Enough." Elizabeth snapped. If she heard him say that one more time she was going to scream. "Fine I'll go to Kelly's with you and Emily can stay here with her brother."

"No." Lucky cried.

"Hey Jason?" Sonny's voice interrupted the tense scene and Jason turned to see him walking down the docks in their direction.

"I guess Sonny's here to see you." Emily said quietly. "I'll call you tomorrow." She clutched his arm in panic. "You will be here tomorrow won't you?"

Jason patted her hand. "I'm staying at Jakes, and my cell phone number hasn't changed." His eyes flicked to Elizabeth to make sure she heard him, and she nodded. "Call me." Again he was addressing both of them.

Emily hugged him. "It's really good to see you Jason, I'm so glad you're back." She let go and turned around heading for Kelly's.

"Come on Elizabeth." Lucky said shortly when she made no move to follow.

"You know I got things to do at home, I'll just get the update tomorrow."

Lucky took her hand. "You know this is important. You need to be there." His eyes were soft for a moment and then he went on. "Besides there's Nikolas to think about."

Elizabeth jerked her hand away. For a second, just a second, she had thought the old Lucky was back. But she was reminded again that the old Lucky didn't exist anymore. How many more times would she have to be reminded of that fact before she finally accepted it? "Fine I'll catch up."

"Elizabeth…"

"She said she'd catch up." Jason interrupted. He didn't like what he was seeing.

"Fine." Lucky snapped walking away.

Elizabeth stared after him before turning to look at Jason. "Welcome to my world." She said bitterly.

"What's going on?" Jason asked quietly.

She looked past him, to Sonny, who was waiting a few feet away. "Another time Sonny's waiting for you."

Jason pinched his nose in frustration. He did need to talk to Sonny. "Call me."

"Count on it." She said smiling at him. "Hi Sonny. Bye Sonny." She called before walking away.

"Elizabeth." Sonny called after her with a smile.

She stopped a step away, and turned back to give Jason another hug. "Did I tell you how much I missed you?"

He hugged her back. "I missed you too."

She stepped back reluctantly. "See you later."

Jason nodded, watching her until she was out of sight before turning to face Sonny. "What the hell is going on with Lucky?"

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~Kelly's~

"Okay now that we're all here." Elizabeth said rolling her eyes at Gia. "Why did you stop Emily from telling Jason what's been happening?"

"Jason's back in town?" Nikolas asked. That's all he needed.

"Whose Jason?" Gia asked determined not to be left out of anything.

"Yes he is and Lucky practically dragged me away from him." Emily explained taking a drink of her soda. "What is your problem?"

"You were going to tell him." Lucky told her as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yes. He could help us." Emily retorted.

"He would know what to do." Elizabeth added.

"This Jason knows what to do with dead bodies?" Gia asked. Who were these people? They were more messed up then she thought.

Emily ignored her. "So why did you shut us down?"

"We agreed that we would keep this between us." Lucky said.

"Well we're not handling it very well." Elizabeth replied. "He could help, no questions asked. This whole mess could be over with tonight."

"I think I like this Jason." Gia said.

"You won't once he finds out you blackmailed his sister." Elizabeth told her with a glare, before turning it into a smile of anticipation. "You know that's another reason to tell him."

Gia shifted nervously in her seat. "He's her brother."

"Among other things." Emily leaned closer to Gia and lowered her voice. "Of course we don't talk about those things." God it felt so good to make this bitch uncomfortable.

Elizabeth met Emily's eyes and she swallowed her laughter. "But, just because we don't talk about them, doesn't make them any less real."

"Elizabeth leave her alone." Nikolas said tiredly. It was already happening. Jason was barely back in town and Emily and Elizabeth were already changing. "Getting back to the point."

"Yeah. Why shouldn't we tell him? He'll know how to fix the problem." Elizabeth repeated turning to face Lucky again.

Lucky clenched his fists under the table, her unquestioned belief in Jason infuriated him. There was a time when he was the only one she believed in like that. Now it looked like she didn't even believe him at all anymore, she wanted Jason to fix things but that was **his** job.

"Yeah." Emily was saying. "If my brother had been in town when this whole thing started, I would've gone to him right away."

"I thought you said, you didn't want him to know." Lucky snapped. Now Emily was beginning to doubt him too.

"I'm for anyone who gets me out of this mess." Gia said. "What?" She asked catching Nikolas's glare. "Anything has got to be better than what you can think of."

Emily ignored the dig. "I didn't want him to know at first, because I didn't want him to think less of me." Elizabeth reached over and patted her hand in comfort. "But I know how stupid that was now, he could never think less of me."

"That's right, he wouldn't." Elizabeth agreed. "Besides Emily is his sister, he will do whatever it takes to get her out of this no questions asked. I say we call him."

"No." Lucky snapped slamming his drink on the table causing the others to look at him in surprise.

"I think," Nikolas said trying to take the attention off his brother. "What Lucky means is the fewer people who know the better."

Both Emily and Elizabeth shook their heads. Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak and Lucky cut her off.

"Besides the only reason he is back is to help Sonny. Do you really want to distract him from that."

"Now who is Sonny?" Gia asked she needed a scorecard.

"He could do both." Elizabeth said stubbornly, although Lucky did have a point. A point she didn't really like. Was the only reason Jason was back to help Sonny? If so, did that mean that once he did, he would leave again? She didn't like to think of him leaving. Some of the happiness she had been feeling ever since she saw Jason faded.

"Besides," Lucky lowered his voice. He had found the angle he needed to back the girls off, and he would use it so he remained in control. "We are talking about the murder of a cop. The last thing Jason or Sonny needs is to be involved in the murder of a cop."

Emily blanched. "I don't want to get my brother in trouble with the police."

"Why can't I know who Sonny is?" Gia demanded. She wasn't surprised when she was ignored.

Emily looked at Elizabeth. "I think maybe Lucky is right."

"Why is it okay for you to get me involved in the murder of a cop but not this Sonny or Jason?" Gia commented loudly, getting their attention.

"You stupid little witch…" Elizabeth began leaning across the table her eyes flashing.

"Look it." Emily interrupted. "You're the one that involved yourself in this whole thing. You." She poked Gia's shoulder. "Followed me to a motel room, and then blackmailed me all right? You put yourself in this position. We're." She gestured around the table. "Just trying to get you out of it."

"Alive Gia." Elizabeth said leaning back. "Although why we're trying to save your scrawny ass I don't know."

"So we're agreed?" Nikolas asked trying to stop the argument. "No one tells Jason."

Lucky nodded immediately, after a minute, so did Emily, then Gia. He looked at Elizabeth. "All of us need to agree."

"I still think…"

"Look it's Emily's problem." Lucky snapped drawing her focus on him. "Isn't that what you keep telling me? She said no, so you won't tell him."

Elizabeth chafed under the order, she glanced at Emily and caved. "Whatever." She decided that she would tell Jason if things got out of control, she would go to him without a second thought. Emily winked at her, as if she knew what Elizabeth was thinking and agreed with her.

"So which one of you is paying?" Gia asked biting into her burger.


	2. Do you hear me screaming?

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Babble: Like? Hate? Let me know.

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The Ripple Effect

Chapter 2

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~Docks~

"Hello to you too Jason." Sonny said with a smile.

Jason shook his head and smiled. "Sorry. Hi Sonny, Johnny." He stuck out his hand.

Sonny took it in relief, he hadn't seen Jason since January. They had spoken several times in the last several months, but that was all business. The last real personal thing they had discussed was the information on the arsonist that Jason had found. Information that he'd used to get Michael and Carly away from the Quartermaines.

He watched Jason shake hands with Johnny but blocked their conversation. It was true that Jason had said he had forgiven him for betraying him with Carly, before he'd left town, but Sonny was still worried. He knew he had damaged the trust in their relationship severely not to mention hurt Jason in the process. He still felt tremendously guilty over the whole situation, even with Jason's forgiveness.

Sonny sighed heavily, he knew that the guilt would only grow, because he had done an even more unforgivable thing. He had fallen in love with someone else. He had risked his friendship with Jason for Carly, and in the end he couldn't even love her. He wondered if Jason could understand and forgive him for that. He also wondered if Jason would stay around, he hoped so, he had missed his best friend. Finding Jason with Elizabeth, before Jason had even found him, gave him some hope that Jason would stick around.

"So what's the deal with Lucky?" Jason asked again, when Johnny took a few steps back to give them privacy. "Sonny?"

Sonny was jolted back to the present, there was enough time to deal with that later. "What did he do?"

"Basically he ordered Emily not to talk to me." Jason shook his head. "He practically drug her and Elizabeth away from me."

"Well I see Elizabeth still doesn't respond to orders." Sonny smirked. "She sent him away to talk to you some more."

"Yeah." Jason nodded, that had surprised him. It thrilled him but it also surprised him. "I know he's been through a lot, but why does he have a problem with me? He can't blame me for the fire, he was kidnapped."

Sonny moved towards the water. "I think it has to do with Elizabeth."

"Why?" Jason followed him to the edge of the dock.

"Her and Carly don't get along." Sonny said simply.

"That's an understatement." He'd had to step between them on more than one occasion. What surprised him was how much Elizabeth seemed to enjoy her little fights with Carly. "But what does she have to do with this?"

"Carly saw me with Elizabeth a few weeks ago." Sonny rubbed his forehead. "It was totally innocent."

"But Carly lost it." Jason finished for him. When would she grow up?

"Yes, between that and her own insecurities when it comes to Elizabeth, she retaliated." Sonny sighed heavily, he was sick to death of her pettiness. "She wanted to hurt Elizabeth so she told Lucky her version of you two living together."

Jason groaned.

"Even though she knew you were there because you were shot, she neglected to mention that part to Lucky, and instead laid it on pretty thick that the two of you were lovers."

"Why? Elizabeth has never done anything to her." He couldn't help but ask why, even though he knew, that was just the way Carly was.

"Well." Sonny crossed to sit on the bench, resting his elbows on his knees. "When you were shot you wouldn't let me or Carly help you. You went straight to Elizabeth."

Jason kept his back to Sonny, even now, there were a lot of things he didn't like to remember about that time. He had forgiven both of them before he ever left, but that bitter taste of betrayal still stung sometimes. "I didn't go to Elizabeth she found me."

"I know." Sonny studied Jason, noticing the tense look in his shoulders, the hurt was still there, at least partially, he sighed in regret before going on. "But later on, when I came to help you, you were adamant that Elizabeth would help you. You kept telling me to go, that Elizabeth was coming with a first aid kit. Even when I told you I sent her away, you were convinced she was coming back, in the end you were right she showed up with her own help."

"Elizabeth can be very stubborn and loyal when she helps a friend." Jason said simply.

"I found that out." Sonny said with a wry smile. "She was the only one you would let near you. You let her help and no one else. Carly can't get past that. She hates that she failed you and Elizabeth didn't."

Jason walked over to the bench and sat down next to Sonny. "You must be getting used to Carly, you have her nailed."

"Carly's not that hard to read." Sonny said with a laugh.

"No she's not. In her own way she's loyal too, you just have to realize that she thinks backwards, so what she thinks is help really isn't." 

"That's why I'm facing prison time for drug trafficking." Sonny said disgustedly.

Jason sighed, he hadn't seen Carly yet, but he was sure he knew her reasons already, she was just trying to help. Carly trying to help always led to trouble. He remembered something he'd heard, and pushed Carly's antics to the back of his mind. "I'm sorry about the baby." He said quietly, keeping his eyes on the water, knowing not to make a big deal out of things, or Sonny would just shut down.

Sonny looked down at his hands, the wound was still raw. "How long have you known?"

"Since tonight, Emily let it slip." He paused for a minute before going on. "Are you okay?"

"It's hard." Sonny said finally. "Each day it gets a little easier." He hadn't talked about the miscarriage with anyone. He rubbed a hand over his chin. That wasn't true, that night in the hospital he had spoken with Elizabeth. He shook the thought away he didn't like thinking about that dark night. He realized now that he had been waiting to talk, because the only one he could talk to would be his brother, his best friend, Jason.

"I was wrong about Carly in one respect." Sonny broke the silence, feeling Jason's eyes on him, but he didn't interrupt. "All those times I called her a bad mother, I was wrong. She wanted that baby, she fought so hard for the baby, that losing him almost sent her over the edge."

"Is she okay physically?"

"Now yes. The doctors gave me a choice, only it wasn't a choice. Carly's life or the baby's." He realized his hands were clenched, so he carefully opened them, smoothing them out. "That isn't a choice. The baby was too young to live without his mother, but he was still alive. I had to give them permission to kill my son, because if we waited for him to die naturally, Carly would have died too."

Jason closed his eyes, knowing how hard that had to have been for Sonny. His friends had gone through hell and he hadn't been around. "That was probably the hardest decision you ever had to make."

"Yes." Sonny shrugged. "But I didn't have a choice."

"It was a hard decision but one that is easy to live with though." Jason commented keeping his eyes on the water. "Because if you had waited and Carly had died, I wouldn't be here talking to you now. You wouldn't have been able to live with yourself. So as hard as it must have been for you, you made the right choice, the only choice."

The words were simple, in his usual style Jason didn't offer any platitudes, but he managed to say the one thing that made Sonny release the burden he had been carrying around since that night.

After a few minutes Jason broke the silence. "How did it happen?"

Sonny took a breath to center himself. He had to be calm because he had a feeling Jason wouldn't be. "We took Michael to the Quartermaines to see Lila. Carly got into an argument with A.J." He noticed that Jason had already clenched his fists. "They were on the stairs, and she fell."

****

~Kelly's~

"Are you sure about this Em?" Elizabeth asked, stepping behind the counter to get more soda for them.

Emily glanced back at the table and lowered her voice. "For right now yes. The cops, especially Taggert would love to nail Jason. If there is the slightest chance he could get in trouble." Her voice trailed off. "I can't do that to him."

"I know Em." Elizabeth sighed. "I agree, but this whole plan worries me."

"Lucky thinks it'll work and you know his plans, they normally do." Emily said trying to convince herself.

"Lucky." Elizabeth glanced at the table and lowered her voice. "You know Em Lucky hasn't been himself since he's come back. So there is no guarantee that his plan will work, in fact, it worries me."

Emily averted her eyes she hated lying to Elizabeth but Lucky was adamant that she not know, that he was having problems remembering things, and was losing time. She had been trying to help him, but she didn't agree with his decision not to tell Elizabeth. She could see that Elizabeth was distancing herself from Lucky more and more everyday. She was afraid that once Lucky and her did figure out and fix his problem, it would be too late for him and Elizabeth. She shook her head too late? That could never happen. Lucky and Elizabeth were perfect together, they had a love she aspired to have. She frowned at least they did before the fire.

"Emily?"

"Huh?" Emily blinked at Elizabeth in confusion.

"Are you okay?" Elizabeth asked with a grin. "You zoned out on me there."

"Yes." Emily sipped her drink, she just had to keep giving Elizabeth hope so she didn't give up on Lucky. "You're right Elizabeth, Lucky has changed. But one thing hasn't changed is…"

Elizabeth stifled a groan she knew what was coming.

"His love for you." Emily finished.

Elizabeth snorted. "Funny he seems to forget that every time he tells me to be with Nikolas." She leaned over the counter. "I guess it just must slip his mind then."

"You know he doesn't mean that." Emily argued.

"You could've fooled me." Elizabeth muttered. "Look Emily I know you mean well."

"I'm just telling you the truth."

Elizabeth stifled a scream, maybe if she were calm, Emily would hear her. "Like I said I know you mean well, that you love us both and you are only trying to help. But you're not." She sighed heavily, maybe if she spoke the words out loud, it would be good for her too. "I'm coming to realize that it might be time to give up on Lucky."

"No." Emily's eyes filled with distress.

"Of course it is." Lucky said at the same time. "Because there is no us anymore. We're just friends." Lucky smiled. "The only us around here is…"

"Don't say it." Elizabeth warned him."

"You and Nikolas." He finished mechanically.

Elizabeth screamed loudly in frustration, stilling all the conversation in the room. "If you tell me that one more time I am going to break something, maybe you."

Lucky and Emily stared at her in shock.

****

~Table~

"Looks like the perfect princess is having a meltdown." Gia told Nikolas, who ignored her getting up from the table to go to the counter.

"Hey Blondie." Gia said loudly getting the attention of a guy at another table.

"What?" He asked turning to look at her.

"Nothing, I'm just checking to see if when I think I speak, something actually comes out. No one over here seems to hear me." Gia said, ignoring the way the guy moved his chair farther away from her.

****

~Counter~

"Are you okay?" Nikolas asked her in concern.

Elizabeth threw the rag down. "Let's settle this once and for all," she snapped moving around the counter to stand in front of Nikolas. She glared at Lucky. "Please **listen** for a change," she turned to Nikolas. "Do you want to be with me?"

"What?" Nikolas asked in confusion.

"Just answer. Do you have any romantic feelings for me?" Elizabeth demanded, biting back a winch when she remembered there was a time not so long ago that he did want more from her. She swallowed a groan hopefully he was past that now.

Yes, I'm in love with you, the words ran through his mind, and he opened his mouth. "No, we're only friends."

Elizabeth sighed in relief before turning to Lucky. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes you're friends now." Lucky argued taking hold of her hand. He felt the jolt of awareness, he always did when he touched her but he went on. "But now that you know we're over, you can move on to being more than friends, just like your supposed to."

Over? How could they be over? How could she turn her back on a miracle even when the miracle told her too? "Alright if were over. What makes you think I would ever look at Nikolas as more than a friend?"

"Because you two are meant to be together." Lucky swallowed the distaste that came from saying those words. "Besides who else would you turn too?"

Jason his name and face popped in her head immediately causing her to gasp in surprise. That wasn't right Jason and her were just friends. He was older than her, and he would never think of her that way.

__

"There is no word for what I feel for you."

She shook the memory away. "Nikolas is not the only man in town Lucky. When I want to date again, it will be the person I choose." She poked Lucky hard in the chest. "**Me**. Not you." She turned away. "Sorry Nikolas," she murmured before heading for the table and picking up her purse.

"Where are you going?" Nikolas asked.

"Anywhere but here." She muttered causing Gia to laugh. "Home," she turned back. "Or is that not allowed?"

"Wait Nikolas can drive you." Lucky said immediately causing Emily to groan. "It's too late for you to walk alone."

She closed her eyes feeling the sting of tears. "You're right Lucky it is too late." She said walking out the door.

****

~Docks~

Cold anger worked its way through Jason. His voice, when he spoke was cold. "He pushed her?"

"I don't know, probably not." Sonny admitted braced for the icy look Jason leveled at him, he continued on. "You know Carly, she never walks away. She doesn't know how to quit, she just keeps pushing and goading trying to get a response. She does that to everyone, but especially with A.J. Apparently he had her arm, she jerked away, and lost her balance."

Jason's jaw was clenched tight, he tried to reign in his temper. A.J. had a knack for making him lose his control. He forced himself to listen to Sonny, when all he wanted to do was find A.J. and kill him. He could see the truth in what Sonny was saying, but still. "Is that what you think happened?"

Sonny rubbed his jaw. "I'll never be positive, but it could be. Either way I can't touch him. One day Michael might need something from A.J., you know if he gets sick or something." Sonny sighed. "I can't kill him. Although a big part of me wanted too, when it happened."

"Had he been drinking?" Jason asked.

"No." Sonny admitted. "That's another reason, he was sober when it happened."

Jason got up and paced to the edge of the dock. Even in the weak moonlight he could see the outline of that god-awful crane A.J. had to buy, even though it was too big and useless in the harbor. He took a deep breath trying to control his anger. If Sonny was okay with it he had no choice but to be okay with it too. He clenched his fists, then why did he want to hit something? 

"Jason?"

He turned to see Elizabeth walking towards him a smile on her face.

"I didn't know you'd still be here." She stopped in front of him. "I have got to tell you again how good…"

"What the hell are you doing Elizabeth?" Jason cut her off.

Her smile died at his tone. He had never spoken to her like that. "Are you okay?"

"Why are you on the docks alone at this time of night?" His temper was already raging and when he realized she was alone it doubled.

Elizabeth backed up a step, away from the anger in his eyes, anger that was directed at her. "I-I was going home." She started by him. "I'm sorry I bothered you." She smiled weakly at Sonny and hurried towards the stairs. She hadn't been prepared for his unexpected attack. Prepared? She had never even considered it.

Her actions and the hurt in her eyes got through his temper. "Elizabeth wait." Jason followed her. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to go off on you."

She paused on the stairs but didn't turn around. "It's okay. Goodnight Jason." She started moving again.

"Please." He said softly pinching his nose in frustration.

The word stilled her movements and she turned to face him. She saw the anger and frustration on his face. How many times had he found her in a bad moment? How many times had he listened while she cursed the fates or cried? Was it so wrong for him to have a bad moment? "It really is okay Jason." She smiled at him. "I don't want to interrupt, I do need to get home."

The smile was real, just like that he was forgiven, he sighed in relief.

Sonny got up from the bench where he had been watching them with interest. He knew she would calm him down. "Please don't leave on my account, Elizabeth, I have to be going." Jason turned to look at him. "I'll call you in the morning Jason." He smiled at Elizabeth. "Goodnight."

"Night Sonny."

Jason watched him go.

"Do you want me to stay or go?" Elizabeth asked from behind him.

Without turning around he held out a hand to her.

She walked down the steps, slipped her hand in his, and walked with him to sit on the edge of the dock. She smiled to herself, when he let go of her hand to brush the dirt off the dock, before he let her sit. He always did that for her, it was just another part of Jason, his gallantry. She knew it wasn't a word associated with Jason Morgan, but he was at least with her. 

Shaking her head she settled down beside him, leaning back on her hands to study the stars. "It's a nice night. For once there's no humidity. I don't know where you've been, but it's been real nasty around here." She leaned farther back to rest on her elbows. "The studio has been roasting, no A.C. I hope it will ease up soon, it is almost September." She was babbling but she was trying to take his mind off whatever was bothering him. "God school will be starting soon. I'm going to be a sophomore in college. I bet many a person in my family has lost money over that little fact."

"Sonny told me how they lost the baby." Jason said quietly. The anger had lessened, making it easier for him to speak to her. "I didn't know about it until tonight, when Emily mentioned it."

"God what an awful way to find out." She sat up touching his hand to try to offer some comfort.

Jason turned his hand under hers, and laced their fingers, he wasn't even aware of doing it. "He had just told me A.J.'s role in it when you showed up." He turned to look at her. "I am sorry, I snapped at you. I didn't mean it, I guess I needed an outlet and you crossed my path. Sorry."

"Don't be." With her free hand she reached over and lightly touched his face. "You are my friend and you were in pain. It was okay for you to snap at me, because you knew it wouldn't change anything between us. That once I knew the why, the words would be forgotten."

He leaned into her hand smiling slightly. "I knew all that did I? I guess I'm pretty smart then."

Her eyes met his, and the hand that she had brought to his face to offer comfort started to tremble slightly. She dropped it quickly, her nervous stomach was back, she had just wanted to comfort him, and all of a sudden she felt tongue-tied around him. What was going on with her tonight? Suddenly nervous she tried to lighten the mood. "What you are is human. Thank God, there were times you worried me."

"What do you mean?" She had just withdrawn from him, and he wondered why.

"Well here I was this emotional basket case that you continually had to pick up or at the very least listen to all the time. Sometimes you were so calm and in control, even when you were in pain that you worried me." She smiled at him. "But when I saw you bleed, my fears were alleviated."

"It's good to know my being shot was such a relief for you." Jason teased with a grin.

She punched his arm. "Oww." She said shaking her hand, relieved that it was back to normal between them. The awkwardness she had felt a minute ago was gone, and he was just Jason again. "I was wrong you are made of iron." She said with a laugh, that he joined. 

After a minute, Elizabeth turned serious. "So are you okay?"

"I guess." He sighed, scrubbing his hand over his face. "It didn't happen to me, it wasn't my baby, but still, the thought of what A.J. did."

"So you think he did it deliberately?"

Jason was quiet for a long time while he thought about her question. He remembered a time after his accident, when he and A.J. had managed to form a tentative relationship. The only reason they had was because, the guilt A.J. had felt over his role in the accident had faded enough that he was willing to see Jason Morgan instead of Jason Quartermaine. Of course that was before Carly and Michael. "I don't know. I'm not always rational when it comes to A.J." He said finally.

"I don't know what happened that day on the stairs, I only know what Emily thinks." Elizabeth said quietly. "She thinks it was an accident, because of the way A.J. reacted to it."

Jason looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"If A.J. had done it deliberately, he wouldn't have been able to handle the guilt." She explained. "But Emily says even though he still drinks a lot of the time, she thinks he's pretending to be worse than he really is. She picked up his glass one time by mistake and it was water not vodka, but he was acting drunk anyway." She turned to face him. "What I'm trying to say if he had pushed Carly, there would have been vodka in that glass, not water."

He turned back to look over the water again, and thought about what she had said. He could see the truth in her words, and the rest of the anger dissipated. 

Lightning lit the sky, followed by the distant sound of thunder. "Come on you better get home, before you get drenched."

"Jason you see that ugly building over there?" She pointed over his right shoulder. "That's where I live, I think I have plenty of time to get there before the rain starts."

"You moved back in the studio?" Jason asked in surprise. He thought she might have looked for someplace else, after the bomb threat.

"Yes." She nodded a proud smile on her face. "I knocked the wall down that led to the storage area next to my studio, so it's bigger and I have a bathroom." She leaned closer to him. "Plus a sink with warm water, in case someone wants to come by and fall in again."

Jason laughed. "That was a one shot deal."

"Pity." She said with a laugh.

Lightning lit the sky again. "Okay I'll go home, you probably just want to leave so you won't get your bike wet."

Jason looked at his watch.

"Do you have to be somewhere?" She hoped not, she wasn't ready to stop talking to him.

"No. I was just seeing how long it took you before you mentioned my bike." He got to his feet. "After all that is the only reason we're friends."

"That's not true." She forced a glare in his direction and let him pull her to her feet. "I also keep you around so you can kill the spiders in my studio."

"They still a problem?" He couldn't help but laugh, remembering how she had all but climbed in his lap, when she saw a spider last winter. It had spooked her enough that she had forgotten he was hurt.

"Not too much." She said walking towards her studio, the fact she kept hold of his hand, while she walked, went unnoticed by her. "I do think I have every bug killer known to man in my studio though."

"You know." Jason commented opening the door that led inside the building. "It's this time of year that they come inside."

Elizabeth shifted closer to him while they walked up the dimly lit stairs, her eyes scanning the ceiling for spiders. "It is?"

"Yes, they hunt for a new place to live before it gets cold." Her grip on his hand had tightened when he continued to tease her. There was something about her that brought out a sense of humor in him like no one else did. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. "But you did say you have every bug killer imaginable."

She paused at her door. "Why don't you come in?"

Spooking her wasn't a very nice way to get an invitation inside, but he wasn't going to turn it down. "Sure I have a few minutes."

She unlocked the door, flipped on the light and led the way inside the studio. Jason followed slowly, he already saw something he didn't like. She still had the same old single bolt lock. With that large window, and the single bolt, it was far too easy to break in. He made a mental note to change some things while he was here.

He looked around the widened studio. The right side of the studio hadn't changed that much, it was still overflowing with painting materials, the couch he had slept on for weeks was still where it always was. She had put up some decorative screens to curtain off the sleeping area to the left. He could see the outline of a double bed and a few dressers. Space was at a premium on the left, but the right side was still mostly open. He knew immediately that the studio side was where she spent most of her time.

"Be it ever so humble." She said putting her purse down by the answering machine, with a flashing red light. She already knew who had called, Emily, Nikolas, and maybe even Lucky. She was tired of dealing with them for one night so she ignored it, and instead crossed to the sofa, collapsing on it with a groan.

Jason followed sitting beside her. "Rough day?"

"Yes." She kept her eyes closed. "But the night was better."

"Really?" He asked following her example and resting his head on the back of the couch.

"Yep." She opened her eyes and looked at him. "You see an old friend of mine, finally decided to come back to town."

Jason looked around the studio, he always felt comfortable here, and he knew it was because of her. Her warmth seemed to be everywhere in the place. He tilted his head, to the side catching the edge of something familiar on the far wall. He got up crossing to the living area of the studio, and coming to a stop at the foot of her bed, to look at the wall over her headboard.

"You didn't take it with you." Elizabeth said from behind him, moving closer. "So I hung it to make sure nothing happened to it."

He stared at his painting, she had named it _The Wind_, he was glad she had hung it. He looked around again, and realized that it was the only painting she had hung. He looked at her in question.

"It's still the best thing I've ever done." She shrugged. "I haven't done anything else that deserves to hang beside it." She touched his arm. "It's still yours though, so when you have the place to hang it, I'll give it to you." She half hoped he would say he wanted it now, because that would mean, he was staying around.

He nodded, suddenly aware of how close they were. The hairs on the back of his neck had risen when she touched his arm. His attraction to her was growing and he had just got back in town.

__

"I still love him as much as ever."

Her words from earlier tonight, reminded him why any romantic feelings he might be having for Elizabeth would not be returned. In fact they might even wreck their friendship and he didn't want that. He moved casually, breaking the contact and heading towards the couch. "Do you like living here?"

"Yeah. This place is fully mine now, it's my name on the lease, and I pay the rent. It's nice not having someone tell me what to do all the time." She grimaced, although that was what Lucky was trying to do to her. She sat on the arm of the couch and banished Lucky from her mind. It seemed wrong to think about Lucky when she was here with Jason. That surprised her, she used to think of Lucky a lot when she had been with Jason. That was different, came a small voice in her head that she had dubbed Lizzie, that was when he was dead.

"You haven't had any problems then?" Jason asked.

"Nope." She said immediately before heading for the mini-fridge. "You want something to drink?" She asked trying to change the subject. She didn't know if Sonny had told Jason about the couple of times Sorel had tried to get near her again. Or the fact she'd had Francis assigned to her for about 6 weeks. She was afraid that if he knew he might try to end their friendship again, or even worse leave town.

"No I'm fine." He shifted on the couch, it was still as uncomfortable as ever.

"So are you going to be in town for a while?" She asked pulling out a bottle of water. "Or do I need to try to see you all I can in the next few days?" 

"I'll be here for a while."

"Good." She let out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding and smiled at him.

He smiled back and caused her stomach to drop again. Flustered she crossed back towards him, tilting the bottle up to take a drink while she did. She had almost reached the sofa when her foot caught on a forgotten bag tripping her, she lost her balance and fell towards the couch on top of Jason.

"Oof." The air went out of him in a rush at her surprise landing, His arms went around her to steady her, holding her in place so she was partially in his lap, with one foot still on the floor.

"Sorry." She said with a giggle. 

"Clumsy as ever I see." Jason teased. "Or did you see a spider?"

"Enough with the spiders." She ordered between laughs. "I never claimed to be graceful."

"Good thing." He told her with a laugh.

She pulled back to respond and the laughter died. His face was a few inches from hers, their eyes were close to eye level. She lost herself in the mesmerizing quality of his blue eyes, she bit her lip, suddenly unsure of what was going on here.

Jason was a little unsure himself, she made no effort to move away, and her eyes seemed to grow even darker while she looked at him. He reached up and lightly ran his thumb over her cheek, before bringing it down to her chin, and pressing down on it, so she released her bottom lip. She still made no effort to move away and he shifted his hand to the back of her head, applying a little bit of pressure to bring her mouth down to his. She kept her eyes open and on his, leaning towards him.

Ring

Jason froze in his movements, her mouth hovering over his.

Ring

Coming out of the sensual fog that his touch had created inside of her, Elizabeth pushed at his chest to get to her feet. What the hell was that?

Ring

"Are you going to get that?" He asked trying not to look at her face afraid of what he would or wouldn't see there.

Ring

"Right." She turned away trying to even her breathing. She couldn't help feeling both disappointed and relieved at the interruption. For a wild minute there she had thought he was going to kiss her. Her nerves were still tingling in anticipation of a kiss that never happened and probably never would.

Ring

She reached for the phone only to stop when Lucky's voice came over the answering machine. She had completely forgotten about Lucky. She stared at the phone in shock, how could she have forgotten about Lucky, the man she loved? The man she was supposed to be with forever, had been forgotten because of a potential kiss from Jason. A near kiss that was probably only a figment of her imagination anyway. She shook her head. What was the matter with her? She knew her and Lucky were having problems, but she was still in love with him right?

__

"So Elizabeth what I'm saying is that you shouldn't have run out of Kelly's like that. I know you were upset, but it's dangerous to be on the docks alone, especially at night. Look we all agreed to keep Jason out of this, so don't go back on your word. This is our problem, it doesn't concern him, we agreed to keep him out of it. I can, I mean we can take care of this ourselves, he'll only mess it up."

Lucky's words penetrated and she stifled a groan knowing Jason had heard every word, but she still didn't pick up the phone.

__

"You should be there by now, so if you are painting please pick up. I know Nikolas tried to reach you earlier, you should have let him take you home. You shouldn't worry him so much, especially because the two of you…"

"I'm here." Elizabeth snatched up the phone, turning off the machine. The last thing she wanted Jason to know was not only was Lucky not in love with her, he wanted her to be with Nikolas of all people. She didn't know why she didn't want him to know, but her feelings concerning Jason had been all over the place tonight.

__

"Are you okay? I was getting worried." Lucky asked.

"Yeah." She could hear the relief in his voice and closed her eyes, he still cared, and that should be enough to make her hang on right?

__

"So you were listening the whole time?"

"Yes, I don't want to fight anymore tonight, so I'll talk to you tomorrow Lucky."

__

"Wait." Lucky twisted the phone cord in his fingers, and looked down at the paper on which he had written his real feelings for her. 'I love you, I'm sorry' were on the paper. He opened his mouth to tell her that. "You need to call Nikolas he was worried when you took off like that."

"Lucky I told you it's late. I don't want to do this now." She snapped. "Goodnight." She hung up the phone on his sputtering reply and took a deep breath trying to control her emotions and facial expressions before turning around to face Jason. "Sorry." She said with a tight smile when she turned finally.

He moved over to her, the fake Elizabeth was back, and he didn't like it. "Elizabeth, I just want to help."

She knew that, and she also knew she wouldn't be able to stop herself from talking to him eventually. But was it so wrong to want one night with him, before she dumped all of her problems on his broad shoulders? "It's late Jason."

Jason sighed heavily before nodding. He wouldn't push, at least, not tonight. He knew Elizabeth, she wouldn't be able to keep what was bothering her from him for long. "I'll see you soon."

Relief coursed through her and she opened the door for him. "Goodnight."

"You know how to reach me, when you need to." Jason said pausing in the doorway to look at her.

When, not if, he knew her so well. "And you know where I am."

"Goodnight." He said softly before stepping out in the hall.

"Jason." She called stopping him a few steps from her door. "I really am glad you came home. I don't think I can tell you how much I missed you."

His grin was quick, lethal and it sent a shiver through her. "I missed you too Elizabeth. Now go inside and lock your door."

"Don't you tell me what to do too." She flared at him, deliberately leaning against the doorjamb, making no move to go inside.

"No way, I know better." He said immediately waiting for her to do what he told her too.

"Good." She said stepping back inside. "Because I am so sick of that I could scream. Night." She told him one more time before closing the door and locking it.

Jason stood in the hallway, staring at her closed door, tonight hadn't been what he'd expected. In some ways it had been better, and in other ways worse. He shrugged, heading down the stairs. There were a few things that he knew. Lucky Spencer was back in town, but he wasn't back with Elizabeth.

He opened the door, stepping out into the late summer rain, he also knew that Emily and Elizabeth were in some kind of trouble and although they wanted to tell him, Lucky and probably Nikolas had convinced them not to. He glanced up at her window, now he knew another thing for sure too, something he had barely let himself think about while he was gone. He was in fact crazy about Elizabeth.

*******************

More characters are being brought in, a large part of the cast is going to get involved in a lot of different ways.


	3. Wanna get wet?

****

Babble: You know the drill let me hear from you … PLEASE!

****

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 3

****

~Studio~

Elizabeth leaned against the door and chewed on her bottom lip. Jason was back in town, and a few minutes ago he was holding her in his arms, giving her every indication that he was going to kiss her. What shocked her was how much she had wanted him to kiss her, how much she still wanted him too.

She rested her hand on the doorknob, she was in love with Lucky. Just because he was behaving oddly, and pushing her away, didn't mean she didn't love him. After all they had promised each other forever, so how could she give up on him? She turned and unlocked the door, besides Jason was just her friend, he would never think of, or see her as anything else, so she had probably only imagined the whole thing.

__

"There is no word for what I feel for you."

She twisted the doorknob and opened the door. Nope it was definitely her imagination, only the thing was her imagination normally wasn't that good. Besides she reasoned with herself, while she headed down the stairs after Jason, he was older than her, and he was gorgeous in that rugged sort of way, so what could he possibly see in her? 

"Not a damn thing." She muttered. So she was just going to go back upstairs and forget these last few minutes ever happened, instead she opened the door and stepped out into the soft evening rain. "Jason."

Jason turned back when he heard her call his name. She walked down another step but stayed in front of the building, while he crossed back over to her. She used the time to study him in the dim light coming from the streetlamp, his features were hidden in shadow. She knew that some people thought he never showed anything of what he was feeling on his face, but she knew where to look and how to read him. Jason cared so much about the people he loved it was amazing.

"Elizabeth did you need something?" He asked coming to a stop in front of her. With her a step above him, they were almost eye level.

She searched his face, for what she wasn't quite sure, now that she was face to face with him again, she had no idea what to say. The rain fell on them both, plastering their clothes to them, neither one seemed to notice, his eyes were locked on her brown eyes.

"Elizabeth?" He repeated touching her hand.

"Jason I-I don't know what…" She trailed off when his hand moved slowly up her arm, a shiver shot through her at the contact. She had never felt so excited and nervous all at once. His hand was at her shoulder, he ran it slowly over the bare skin of her neck, to rest it lightly at the base of her throat. Everywhere he touched, the nerves inside her seemed to dance. His other hand had moved to her hip, then slid around to the small of her back, before he began to move it, over the damp material of her shirt, in lazy circles. 

Her muscles went lax and she leaned against him, her chest resting on his. His body was so firm and hard, and her body at the moment was soft and quivered as his light caresses continued. Her eyes remained open and locked on his, they didn't speak, except with their bodies and their eyes. The need and want coming through them seemed to surprise them both, but neither one wanted to pull away.

He lightly traced her jaw line, before he ran his thumb over her lips. She felt his touch on her lips and opened her mouth in response. His eyes darkened, he closed the gap between them, lowering his head to meet hers. Her hands were on his hips, she angled her head up, craving the touch of his mouth on hers, her eyes drifted shut, and she could feel his breath on her face.

****

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Elizabeth jerked upright in bed, she was panting and disoriented, it took her a minute longer to find her alarm and shut it off. She collapsed back on the bed, feeling an ache of disappointment at the interruption. She rolled on her side, pulling a pillow to her chest. That was a first. She had dreamed about Jason before but nothing like that. Normally it was about them riding together, once they were dancing, but, this was the first romantic dream she'd had about him.

Her body was tense, and she couldn't help but glare at her alarm, wishing it had rung five minutes later. She buried her face in the pillow, she needed to get herself under control. Lucky was who she loved, who she should be dreaming about, not Jason. Whatever had happened last night with Jason was only hormones. She crawled out of bed heading for the bathroom, she wasn't a nun, she was bound to feel things at times. "Yeah a hormonal reaction that any man could have triggered." She told herself in the mirror. 

"Hormones can be controlled." She muttered and she would control them. She wasn't about to lose Jason because of one silly dream that she had already forgotten. The next time she saw him, the awkward moments, of last night would not be remembered or repeated. "I'm in control." She stepped in the shower, and turned the water on full blast. She ducked her head under the icy spray, after all it was only a dream.

****

~Docks~

Elizabeth had her head down, and was fumbling with the snap on her bag, when she started down the steps, and ran into something hard. Strong hands reached out to steady her, while her bag went flying. Her body reacted immediately to the touch, she knew who was holding her before she even looked up. "Sorry Jason."

Jason smiled down at her. "No problem."

He still had a hold of her arms, they were standing close enough to each other, that if she moved a few inches closer she would be pressed against him, just like she had been in her dream. Her dream. God. Her face went red and she jerked out of his hold, hurrying down the last step to pick up her papers.

"Thanks. I'm such a klutz sometimes it's a wonder I'm not a walking bandage." She shoved some papers in her tote bag. "To top it off, I'm a late klutz, I was supposed to meet Chloe 15 minutes ago but I just couldn't seem to get moving this morning…" Her face went red again and she kept her eyes averted when he squatted down beside her to help pick up her things. "I swear I don't know why Chloe doesn't fire me. I think I leave her in a lurch more than I actually help her."

Jason half-listened to her babble, something had happened to make her very nervous. She only talked this much and this fast when she was trying not to think about or say something else.

"So that's where that was." She murmured holding up a paintbrush. "I've been looking for that, I wonder what else is in here. I swear my bag is like a bottomless pit, it can make anything disappear…"

He touched her arm, and she stopped talking like he had found her off button. She went very still, but still refused to look at him, now he was getting worried. "Did something happen Elizabeth?"

Happen? What could have happened? She had just had a dream about him, followed by a fantasy when she was fully awake, and in a cold shower no less. "No." She said standing up, shoving the rest of the things in her bag.

He stood up as well, holding out some papers. "You seem upset."

She reached for the papers, being careful not to touch his hand, when she did. "I'm fine."

He kept a hold of the papers, until she forced herself to look at him. She could see nothing but concern in his blue eyes. She closed her eyes for a minute and swallowed hard. She needed to get a grip and put this behind her, because this was Jason, her friend Jason, and she wouldn't do anything that could make her lose him. She opened her eyes and focused on him again. "I really am fine, it's just been one of those days."

He looked doubtful, but finally handed her the rest of her things. "Do you need a ride to work?"

Her eyes lit and a smile floated across her face. "On your bike? Do you even have to ask?"

He smiled at her delight, whatever had shaken her, seemed to have disappeared as soon as he mentioned the bike. "Sometimes I think you hang around me just for my bike."

"No of course not." She paused, shooting him a grin. "Although it does add to your appeal, which I'm sorry to say, needs some help sometimes."

"It does?" He asked taking the bag from her.

"Yes." Elizabeth teased, the awkwardness she had felt a few minutes ago, forgotten as she fell back into their normal relationship, and headed for his bike. "When you go into your silent intimidator mode, you seem to scare most people away."

"That's because I don't want to talk to them." He said matter-of-factly, handing her the lone helmet.

"I know, but most people don't…" She stopped and began to laugh. "I forgot you're not like most people."

"Yes I am." He said defensively.

She rolled her eyes, when he leaned against he bike, to glare at her. "I meant that in a good way. So I get to drive right?" She asked giving him the smile that always worked on her Grandfather.

"No." He pulled the key from his pocket.

"Come on Jason." Her hand closed over his on the key and she stepped closer, looking up at him, pleading with her dark eyes.

He couldn't seem to stop himself from leaning closer to her, bringing his face close to hers. "No." He whispered.

"Jason, come on it's been months." Why hadn't she noticed how blue his eyes were, before?

"Exactly my point." Jason murmured, her hair smelled like vanilla, and he liked it. "It's been months since you've been on a bike so you're not driving."

Her face moved into a pout. "Jason, what do I have to do to convince you?" She asked huskily, his proximity was causing her stomach to go crazy again.

He smiled slowly, sending shockwaves through her. "Well you can…"

"Now this looks cozy."

Elizabeth groaned in recognition of the voice, bowing her head to rest it briefly on his chest, before turning around. "Gia." She said flatly.

Gia's eyes moved from the bike to the man standing behind Elizabeth, the man was to borrow a phrase, sexy as hell, and from the looks of him wrapped up in Elizabeth's perfect princess act. She shook her head, how did the girl do it? "Elizabeth I almost didn't recognize you without your adoring entourage."

Elizabeth sighed and set the helmet on the seat, before she gave into temptation and threw it at her. "I'm running late Gia, so why don't you say whatever is on your small little mind and leave."

Jason was surprised at her tone, the only other person he heard her use it on was Carly. He wondered what this Gia girl had done to warrant such animosity.

"Now Elizabeth be nice. Where are your manners?" Gia told her sweetly, crossing over to them. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

Elizabeth shifted in front of Jason blocking her approach. "No I'm not."

Gia scowled at her before smoothing out her features. "Well then I'll do it. I'm Gia Campbell." She said to Jason holding out her hand, and smiling at him flirtatiously.

Jason glanced down at her hand but made no move to take it, he could read the falsity about the girl easily enough. "Hello."

Elizabeth grinned at Jason's response or should she say lack of response.

Gia frowned. "You know in this country it's customary to say your name when someone tells you theirs."

"So." Jason said shortly.

Elizabeth bit back a laugh, she was relieved that Jason hadn't been taken in by the other girl's beauty, like everyone else seemed to be.

Gia turned to glare at Elizabeth. "He must be another member of the Elizabeth Webber fan club." She crossed her arms and studied her. "How do you do it?"

"Gia I really don't have time to listen to your crap right now."

"No." Gia went on. "First I thought you were with Nikolas, then it was Lucky, and now it's this guy." She shook her head. "How do you keep them straight?"

"Jason." Elizabeth picked up the helmet from the seat. "Let's just go."

"Jason." Gia repeated, studying him through calculating eyes now. "Emily's brother Jason? The one who knows what to do with dead…Ow!"

Elizabeth stomped hard on Gia's foot to shut her up. "Run along Gia, there's no one here for you to blackmail."

"I was just going to say…"

"Now Gia." Elizabeth snapped.

"Fine." Gia said before flouncing away.

Elizabeth counted to ten in her head, tapping on the helmet as she did, before turning to face Jason with a smile plastered on her face. He was leaning against the bike, half-sitting on the seat, his arms were crossed over his chest while he watched her. He looked like he was prepared to wait there all day. She swallowed a groan. "So is that offer of a ride still open? I really do have to get to work. Chloe has a conference call with Milan in about 20 minutes and I need to get things set-up."

Jason made no effort to move. "I know what to do with dead what, Elizabeth?"

"Jason." She bit her lip, she had promised not to say anything. Even though she didn't agree with what Lucky was doing she had promised both him and Emily. She was a little unnerved to realize that she was worried more over the idea of breaking a promise to Emily than to Lucky.

"Let me guess, you want to tell me, but Lucky told you not to." He said, from her silence he knew he was right. He felt hurt, even though he had no right to be. Hurt that she had chosen to listen to Lucky instead of talking to him. He couldn't identify what else he was feeling, because he had never felt it before, he just knew he didn't like it.

"Jason I'm sorry, I promised." She said quickly, hoping he would understand. He seemed to withdraw from her, and she realized she had hurt him, she hadn't thought she could.

The awkwardness between them was back, this time for a different reason. Her grief over losing Lucky, and his over losing Michael and Robin's betrayal, might have been what brought them together in the beginning, but there was so much more between them now. He knew how loyal she was, and that if she made a promise, she would do anything not to break it. He wouldn't put her on the spot by making her choose between him and a flesh and blood Lucky. Not only would he never give her an ultimatum, he also didn't know who she would choose, and didn't want to risk losing her. So he pushed the hurt away. "Come on I'll take you to work." He said tiredly, turning to get on the bike.

"Jason." She touched his arm. "If it was just me, you would be the first person I would tell. I need you to know that."

He turned back to look in her eyes, he could see she meant what she said. "When you're ready, I'm here."

Her smile was small but genuine, and she moved to the bike in relief. "Jason…"

"No." He said straddling the bike. "You're still not driving."

Her smile grew. "Okay but only because I want to go fast." She pulled on the helmet. "Next time though, I drive."

"We'll see." He said waiting for her arms to come around him, before putting the bike in gear. He already knew he would let her drive. He relaxed slowly, feeling her lean against his back, when he took the curves. He'd had other riders on his bike, but he never felt as comfortable with anyone else but her. He could feel her body shake with laughter as he increased his speed. Nope Elizabeth was the only one who he felt belonged on his bike as much as he did.

****

~Penthouse 3~

"Ned, I can't take off and fly to St. Louis just because you want me to." Alexis Davis said propping the phone between her shoulder and her head, while she began to put files in her briefcase. "Why? Ned I have clients that are depending on me, deadlines to meet.'" She paused to listen pulling a file back out of her case. "Besides the last thing we need is Eddie's Angel to make an appearance, the press is starting to die down. I don't want it to start up again."

She snapped her briefcase closed and looked around for her purse. "Ned of course I want to be there, I just can't right now." Her suit jacket was draped over the chair. She thought about it for a second then set the phone down, missing part of his latest diatribe, while she hurriedly slipped it on. She picked up the phone and realized she hadn't missed a beat. "Sonny isn't my only client." She said tiredly, trying to explain this again, for what felt like the millionth time. "But he is the one that needs my help the most right now."

She glanced at the ring on her finger, sometimes it felt like an anchor weighing her down. "I know we're getting married Ned, but I guess I don't see the rush." She opened her door and headed towards the elevator. She tried to juggle her purse, her briefcase, and hit the call button but couldn't. She smiled gratefully at Johnny when he pressed the button, the smile froze when she saw Sonny standing behind him.

"Morning Alexis." Sonny said with a smile.

Alexis nodded at him, very aware of Ned continuing to speak in her ear. "Ned you know that's not true." She said finally when he paused giving her an opportunity to speak.

The elevator doors opened and Sonny gestured for her to precede him in the car. "He has a lot to say this morning." He commented.

Alexis covered the receiver. "Do you mind."

"No." Sonny said with a grin, flashing those damned dimples of his at her.

Alexis turned ignoring him.

"I just thought you might like to talk to someone instead of at them for a change." Sonny continued, ignoring the glare she shot him.

"You know nothing of my relationship with Ned." She hissed at him.

"Alexis you wound me." Sonny clasped his hands to his chest in over-exaggeration. "Who do you think keeps you supplied in paper bags?"

"Now look…" She broke off turning back to the phone. "Of course I'm still listening to you Ned." She sighed turning away from Sonny slightly. "You knew I was an attorney when we met, that I have my own life, apart from you. Why are you trying to change the rules now?"

Sonny watched her, he knew she and Ned were having problems, major problems, and yet they had still gotten engaged. It didn't make sense to him. Their problems would only get worse with marriage not better, but it wasn't his place to say anything.

"And when our relationship started I was dating a CEO not a wannabe rock star." Alexis snapped fed-up with his demands. "Ned? Ned are you there?" She hung up slowly, she hadn't meant to hurt him, she was just getting tired of his behavior.

"Are you okay Alexis?" Sonny asked quietly.

She looked into those warm dark eyes of his, noting that they were filled with concern, not amusement, like she thought they would be, and they almost did her in. "I'm fine."

Sonny took her hand, he had gotten used to the jolt that he always received when he touched her. He was enough of a masochist that he even looked forward to it. Call it cosmic justice, he had finally fallen in love again, after Brenda, and it was with a woman who used him as a sounding board for her own love life. Perhaps this was a punishment for all the people he had hurt, he didn't know, he just knew, he wanted to be in her life as more than just a client, so he continued to be her confidant.

"Sonny." Alexis repeated. "It's time to get off." He had been looking at her with such an expression of pain and loss, she wondered what he was thinking about.

"Right." Sonny dropped her hand and nodded for her to exit.

Alexis missed the contact immediately, lately when he touched her even casually, she could feel butterflies in her stomach. Even when she was younger, no man had ever made her react like that, she had thought she was immune until recently.

"Can I drop you somewhere?" Sonny asked pausing by the limo.

"No." Alexis told him. "I need my car, I have a lot of outside appointments today."

Sonny nodded. "I'll see you then."

"Sonny." Alexis stopped him before he could get in the car. "I have a little more checking to do, but we're going to need to talk about your defense strategy soon."

"I know." Because of Carly there was a good chance he would go to jail. He lowered his window, watching Alexis move to her car. Carly was also the reason he couldn't go after what he really wanted. With a sigh of regret he raised the window. "Let's go Johnny."

****

~Penthouse 4~

"Mr. Morgan it's good to see you."

"You too Pete." Jason shifted the package he was carrying to his left hand, and shook the other man's hand. "Is Carly inside?"

"Yes Ms. Benson is inside." He knocked before opening the door.

"Who is it Pete?" Carly called from her perch on the couch.

"It's me." Jason said walking into the room.

"Jase." Carly shrieked, jumping off the couch and flying across the room to hug her best friend. "God I've missed you. Everything is such a mess." She said starting to cry.

Jason hugged her back. She was nothing but trouble, abrasive, rude, and jealous all the time, but she was his friend, and he simply couldn't see his life without her in it. He knew why she was crying and he just held her while she did.

****

~Kelly's~

"Why is she here?" Emily demanded sullenly when Nikolas and Gia entered the courtyard.

"She's a part of this Em." Lucky said patting her hand.

"Don't remind me." Emily muttered under her breath.

"Are we waiting for Elizabeth?" Nikolas asked when he joined them at the table, automatically pulling Gia's chair out for her, before sitting.

"No, she's at L&B working. Her shift doesn't start until later." Emily answered.

Gia snorted. "Working right."

"What do you mean by that?" Lucky asked.

"I saw her earlier and she sure wasn't working." Gia said cattily. "Unless it was how best to reel in a hunk."

"What?" Nikolas demanded.

"Sorry guys, looks like you two have been replaced by a man." Gia said nastily. "She was with that guy." She pointed to Emily. "Your brother Jason, they looked might cozy. In fact I thought she was going to hit me for interrupting them."

"They're just friends." Emily snapped. Gia always had to try to start trouble.

Nikolas burned with jealousy but he controlled it and looked at Lucky who had a far off look in his eyes. "I'm sure it was nothing. Gia tends to exaggerate."

"Exaggerate?" Gia huffed. "I was there, not you, they were in a clinch."

"What?" Lucky snapped out of his reverie at her words. "They were kissing?"

"Well…"

Lucky grabbed her arm. "Answer me."

"Ow, you're hurting me."

"Lucky let her go." Nikolas ordered. Lucky's behavior worried him but it also confirmed what he had been telling himself ever since Lucky had returned. That despite what Lucky said, he was in fact, still in love with Elizabeth. He felt an unreasonable sense of loss, because he was in love with her too, but he knew he would never act on it, and even if he did, she didn't feel the same, about him.

"Sorry." Lucky said immediately, letting her go. He was as surprised at his actions as everyone else was. "I didn't mean to hurt you, but would you answer the question."

Gia eyed him warily, rubbing her arm, she knew when to be honest. "No they weren't kissing." She glanced at the red mark his hand had left on her arm, and went on. "But I interrupted them, before they could, they left together then, on his bike."

"They are friends." Emily enunciated slowly. Both of them had told her that, when she had confronted them after the Christmas party last year. She hadn't believed it when Elizabeth had told her, but she had believed Jason. He'd only been back a day, and she knew Elizabeth hadn't heard from Jason while he was gone, so nothing could have happened between them. Besides Lucky was back, and she loved Lucky, so nothing ever would happen. She glanced at Lucky, and remembered what Elizabeth had said the night before about giving up on Lucky, that wasn't good.

"If you say so." Gia muttered. "But those two weren't looking at each other like they were just friends."

Lucky couldn't help feeling betrayed although he had no right to feel it. He had told Elizabeth for months that they were over, that she should be with Nikolas and let him go. He never allowed himself to consider the possibility that she might listen to him, and turn to someone else. Deep down he knew she'd never look at Nikolas, even when she had kissed Nikolas awhile ago to make him jealous, he knew she didn't mean it, but Jason.

__

"They lived together. The whole town knew they were sleeping together, and you hadn't even been dead a year."

Carly's words came back to him, and he clenched his fists under the table. He didn't hear the conversations going on around him, he only heard Carly's words, and he only saw the way Elizabeth had stood next to Jason last night. They way she wanted to tell him their problems, wanted him to take care of things for them. His gut twisted, when he remembered the way she believed in Jason.

__

"They lived together."

"Lucky are you okay?" Nikolas asked softly drawing him out of his thoughts.

"Yes." He shook his head to focus on the situation now. "What about you? It can't be easy to hear she's with Jason. After all you are in love with her." He said automatically as soon as he saw Nikolas's face.

"Lucky." Nikolas sighed wearily.

"Why don't you tell her to stop?" Lucky asked. If he told her that, she would stop, and Jason would be gone. That would be perfect, Jason would be gone, and she would be his again. He shook his head, Nikolas's again.

Nikolas looked at him in surprise. "Lucky this is Elizabeth no one **tells** her what to do. Trust me you especially don't want to try to tell her who she can or can't see." He was amazed that Lucky even suggested it.

"But if she loves you she would do it." Lucky argued.

"Lucky." Nikolas snapped, his voice rising for a second before he controlled it again. "She loves me as a friend, nothing more. I almost lost her friendship once, because of Jason, I'm not going to risk it again."

"Does he really have that much of an influence on her?" Lucky couldn't believe that Elizabeth, his Elizabeth, could have changed that much.

Nikolas glanced over at the girls, and was surprised to see that Emily was actually speaking with Gia, with no bloodshed, he turned back to Lucky and kept his voice low. "She's a different person around him. She moved out of Mrs. Hardy's house, when she forbid her from seeing Jason. She left a party full of her friends, when Jason and I fought to be with him, she basically kicked me out of her life, for weeks over him. She had a b…" He stopped, he didn't know how Lucky would react to the bomb incident so he moved on. "She defends him, and will turn on anyone who says bad things about him. You'll see soon enough, what happens."

"That's not good." Lucky muttered, he didn't like that at all.

"Maybe you can reach her. You can make her understand that Jason could get her killed." Nikolas pressed him, maybe that would be how they could find their way back together. Lucky was already jealous of Jason, he just needed a push, and he would drop his insistence that he wasn't in love with her.

"I can try." Lucky shrugged. "But we're just friends."

"Oh God." Gia cried suddenly, lurching to her feet and racing away from the table towards the docks.

"Emily what did you say?" Nikolas asked tiredly.

"Nothing." Emily shook her head. "She just looked up and took off."

Lieutenant Marcus Taggert and Assistant District Attorney Dara Jensen entered the courtyard. Taggert glanced towards the docks, there was something familiar about that girl with braids, who had just raced out of here.

"So there's been no progress in finding Ted Wilson?" Dara asked.

Taggert focused on her again. "No one has seen him since July 3rd, the night he disappeared."

"Do you still believe he's dead?" Dara asked sitting at a table.

The conversation at Emily's table had stopped, while all three strained to hear what was being said at the other table.

"He's a good cop." Taggert told her. "He wouldn't just leave like that. Besides we found his car in the river, wiped of prints, but pushed over that cliff just the same. No something happened to him. After all of this time, I think a body is the only thing we'll find."

"There hasn't been much in the press lately, and that's good."

"We want whoever killed him to think we've backed down." Taggert said his eyes blazing in anger. "Then they'll get stupid and we'll have them. He was a cop. One of our own, and I won't rest, the department won't rest, until we find him, and put his killers on death row."

"I know you won't." Dara agreed, when her beeper went off. "Neither will I." She glanced at her beeper. "It's the office I got to go, maybe we can finish this over dinner?" She asked getting to her feet.

Taggert got to his feet as well. "I have plans with Hannah tonight." He said. "But I'll walk you back, and we can talk on the way."

Dara turned away a frown on her face at the mention of Hannah, she barely glanced at the people at the table beside them as they walked away.

Nikolas rubbed at his eyes. "We're running out of time."

"Look the rave is in 2 or 3 days." Lucky said immediately. "We just need to find out where, and everything will be over with."

"I still don't like this, it's my problem, and you won't let me help." Emily told them, taking a drink, her mouth felt awfully dry at the moment.

"You know why Emily. This Zander Smith guy knows what you look like. It's too dangerous for you to go." Lucky explained.

"Well it sounds like whatever you have planned, is dangerous for you, so I should be there." Emily argued.

"Don't worry." Lucky said cockily. "I have everything under control."

Emily looked at Nikolas and she read the same thought she had in his eyes. Why were they not reassured?

****

~Penthouse 4~

"Are you calm now?" Jason asked after Carly had been quiet for a few minutes.

Carly stepped back and gave him a watery smile. "Yeah." She moved to the bar and poured herself some water. "It's so good to see you."

Jason got some water of his own, set the package on the desk, and followed her to the couch. "You too."

"I should've known he would call you." She grumbled. "That is why you're here right? Because I messed up Sonny's life. Or…" A tiny flicker of hope went through her. "Did you miss me?"

"Yes."

"Yes to what Jase?" God he could be so frustrating.

"Yes to both of your questions." He said simply sipping his water. He knew by coming back, that Carly would more than likely try to cling to him, like he was her lifeline. She always depended on him to help her when she was in trouble. He always had in the past, so he knew she would expect it from him again.

"You didn't even say goodbye." She said softly, the hurt visible in her eyes. "How could you not say goodbye to me?"

He met her stare without blinking. "Because you would have never let me go. You would have done something stupid, to try to get me to stay."

"Because I love you Jason." Carly told him. "You're Michael's father, we are a family. You're right I would have fought to hold onto that."

"That's just it Carly, that's one of the reasons that I left." He sighed heavily shifting to sit on the ottoman in front of her. "Carly you weren't in love with me. I had to leave, to make you see that."

"Yes I am." She had to be in love with him, because if not that meant she was in love with Sonny, and that just couldn't be true.

"You love me like a friend, they way I love you, but your not in love with me. I had to make you see that, and you never would have, as long as I was around."

"Michael…"

"I had already relinquished my claim on Michael." Jason told her shortly and that still hurt, God he missed that little boy. "I couldn't let you use him, to try to get close to me again."

"I was fighting to save our family." She argued a tear slipping down her cheek.

"We hadn't been a family since you married A.J." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. Why did she always give him a headache? "You're a good mother, most of the time, but when you brought Michael to get me to see you." He stopped. "I knew I had to leave, I wasn't going to let anyone, including his mother, use him, or confuse him."

"How much do you know?" She asked avoiding his words, because he had only spoken the truth. She had used Michael, because she knew if she showed up at his door with Michael he would let her in.

"I know you lost the baby." He took her hand. "I'm sorry."

"You know I found out I was pregnant the day you left. God I needed you, when I went to find you, you were gone, and everyone seemed to know it but me."

"Sonny was there for you." Jason said.

"Not at first, but when he found out I was pregnant, and realized it was his, he was." She continued on nastily. "But before that he could care less, and once I lost the baby, he stopped caring again."

"That's not true." Jason sighed, she hadn't changed.

"What do you know? You haven't been here." She snapped. "You weren't here when A.J. made me lose the baby, you weren't here, when I went after A.J. with a gun. You weren't here when Sonny decided he didn't want to marry me anymore, because I wasn't pregnant." She got to her feet and stalked to the bar. "You weren't here."

"No I wasn't." He agreed. "But I know Sonny, he was probably the one who took the gun away from you."

Carly shrugged. "Yeah he talked me out of it, and for a night, we shared our grief, but it didn't last, a few days later I moved out."

"I also bet." He started moving to stand beside her. "That you were the one who said he didn't have to marry you."

He knew her so well. "We were only going to marry because of the baby so I let him off the hook."

Jason studied her closely. "You're in love with him."

"No I'm not." Carly cried nervously. "I love you."

He shook his head. "Yes as a friend, but you're not in love with me, and we both know it."

"Yes I am." She argued stubbornly. She had to keep a hold of him, because Sonny slipped further away from her everyday.

"Is that why you tried to wreck Sonny's life by helping him?" Jason asked. "You forget, I know you Caroline, you only cause that much damage when you try to help in the name of love."

"You know I never meant for it to turn out that way don't you?" Carly begged him to understand. "I was trying to help Mike and get rid of Sorel for Sonny at the same time. Sonny was never supposed to be there, he wasn't supposed to know."

"Let me guess, you wanted to do this to prove that you loved him, to help him with Mike, and it all spun out of control." He said wearily, he knew only to well how she thought.

"Yes you understand. Why doesn't he?" She demanded angrily.

"Because you lied to him to do it, you put yourself in danger, you put his father in danger." Jason explained the obvious reasons. If there were others, he didn't know about them yet.

"It's more than that." She snapped. "He doesn't believe me because he is looking for an excuse to be mad at me so he can kick me out of his life."

"Carly he's facing 25 years for drug trafficking, because of you, he has a right to be mad."

"No it's more that that." She took a step away, only to whirl around and face him again, her face livid in anger. "He wants me gone because he is in love with someone else."

"What?" Jason asked the surprise he felt evident in his tone.

"He is. Only he doesn't know how to tell you, so he's using this as an excuse to get rid of me." Carly knew it was true. She loved Sonny, but knew he didn't feel the same about her.

"Carly are you sure this isn't just another one of your misunderstandings. You don't always see what is really happening."

"I don't see what's happening?" She yelled. "Well I can see this, he's in love with your little friend."

"Who?" Jason asked tiredly, the little headache had moved into a full blown one, and her shrieking wasn't helping matters.

"That's right he's in love with Elizabeth Webber." Carly said bitterly, noting the way his head jerked up to look at her when he heard the words. "She moved in on him the moment you left."

**********************

If you want more please reply. The cast will be growing and other storylines will begin to take hold.

If you want more please let me know. I have more chapters finished.


	4. Ranting & Raving

****

Babble: I'm so glad that you this like this story and want more. To those who asked about my other pieces. First I have 3 one parters that I can't post here, email me if anyone would like to see them. Also if anyone reading this is also reading What If… get ready. Now you still have to reply.

Stephanie

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 4

****

~Jake's~

Emily hesitated outside his door, she knew that they had decided to keep Jason out of it, but she needed to talk to him. She knew that despite what she had said last night, Jason could and would handle this without getting caught, hurt, or letting it interfere with whatever he was doing for Sonny. He could handle it, and this nightmare could be over with tonight. She realized that the only reason Elizabeth hadn't said anything was because she had asked her not too, so Elizabeth would understand why she had changed her mind, in fact she was probably hoping she would change her mind. That was another reason to tell him, in some respects Elizabeth was closer to Jason than she was. At first that had really bothered her, but when she finally found out that Elizabeth had saved Jason's life, it was easier for her to let that jealousy go.

She raised her hand to knock, and then lowered it again, Lucky wouldn't understand why she told Jason. Lucky seemed to need this somehow. When he focused on her problem with Ted and what to do about it, he seemed to come back all the way and become the boy she had first met all those years ago. Of everyone in their group she had known Lucky the longest, and her relief at seeing him acting like his normal self at times, made her back his plan even when she didn't want too.

But hearing Taggert with Dara Jensen earlier, made her realize that they were in way over their heads. She needed to get some help, and Jason would do this for her no questions asked. She knocked on his door and waited. Lucky might be hurt at first, but she knew that in this instance Lucky had bitten off more than he could chew.

She knocked again, louder this time. Besides this was her problem. She was the one that brought them into this mess. If anyone got hurt because of it, she didn't think she would be able to handle it. And of everyone she knew, Jason was really the only person qualified to handle this. It scared her sometimes, to think about all the things her brother had done, things that she never ever wanted to know about. But in this instance, those things he could do, would definitely come in handy. Maybe she could finally get her life back, was that so wrong to wish for?

"What are you doing here Emily?"

Emily swallowed a groan, and turned to face Lucky. "I came to see Jason."

Lucky studied her face, "You were going to tell him." He accused, taking her arm and leading her down the hall to his room, he hurriedly unlocked the door. "Get inside we need to talk."

****

~Kelly's~

"Sorry I'm late Tammy." Elizabeth called, walking through the door, and heading for the counter. "I've been behind all day."

"It's okay sweetie." Tammy said walking out of the kitchen. "Only I have to run now, I need to make the deposit, and then I'm meeting Mike, so we'll have to talk later okay?"

"Okay." Elizabeth tied on her apron, and watched her walk out the door. She was very grateful that other than Lou, Kelly's was vacant at the moment. Lou didn't really count either, he always hung out the back door, smoking, or playing craps with the locals until he had an order to prepare. These were the times she liked it the best. 

All dinner break, no work. She frowned, remembering the last time she had said that, and to whom. That was a night everything with Jason seemed to change, he had helped her get through a really bad night, and the next morning she had found him bleeding in the snow. She started filling saltshakers, the mindless chore gave her plenty of time to think, and her mind kept circling back to Jason.

Jason hadn't pushed her for more details of what was going on, of course he never did, but she could see the distance and the hurt in his eyes. She hated knowing that she had put it there. The ride had been perfect as usual, she almost felt like things were back to normal between them, then she saw his eyes. She had frowned and he had taken the helmet from her hands and said he'd see her later. She smiled at that, knowing they were okay, that they were still friends, that her keeping something from him was okay with him, and that those strange feelings she had been getting about him were finally gone, and he was just Jason again. Then he smiled at her, he smiled at her and her stomach dropped to her knees. Before she could do anything else he was gone.

It was strange she had spent hours upon hours alone with him last year, and this January, she had even lived with him for awhile, and she'd never had one thought about him romantically. She moved around the counter to exchange the saltshakers on the tables with the full ones, then moved back behind the counter. That wasn't entirely true, she'd had a thought once or twice right before he left, but she had always written it off as foolishness.

But now he hadn't even been back 24 hours and he had invaded her thoughts, her dreams, her senses, hell every part of her. It didn't make sense. She paused in the process of pouring salt in the empty bottles. Maybe it was because she was still in mourning when he left, and now she wasn't anymore. 

"Right." She muttered in relief, and began moving again. The part of her that produced those kinds of feelings was working again. It made sense, Lucky wasn't dead so she didn't have to mourn anymore. Lucky was alive so she was allowed to feel these things again.

__

That's not true. The Lizzie voice was back. _Those parts of you woke up the last time you saw Jason and he kissed you goodbye._ She groaned trying to drown out the voice in her head. _He kissed you on the forehead and said goodbye, and all you thought for months was what if you had kissed him on the lips. Would he have stayed?_ "Oh shut up." She finally cried out.

"Excuse me?"

Elizabeth's face flamed and she looked up into Sonny's smiling face. She hadn't even heard him come in. She groaned again. "Forget I said anything."

He took a seat at the counter. "I think that's full."

"What?" She looked down and saw a pile of salt that had overflowed from the shaker onto the counter. "Jeez, I should have never gotten out of bed today." She went red again, thinking about why she had shot out of bed this morning.

"Bad day?" Sonny asked with a smile.

"You have no idea." She muttered cleaning up the salt, automatically tossing some of her shoulder. Sonny saw that and shook his head in amusement. "What can I get you?"

"Coffee for starters." He said turning the coffee mug over. What the hell, he picked up some of the salt and tossed it over his shoulder as well. With Carly in his life he couldn't have enough help.

She filled his cup. "Anything else?"

"Yes." Sonny's face turned serious, causing her own smile to fade. "I need to talk to you about Jason."

****

~Penthouse 4~

Jason burst out laughing.

Incensed Carly slugged him in the arm. "Don't laugh at me, it's the truth."

He caught her hand before she could hit him again. "Carly do you ever listen to yourself?"

"You don't know." Carly wailed. "Every time I turn around they are together, and she's batting her eyes at him, giving him her Princess Purity Act. They even talk in this code, when I'm around."

Code? He shook his head. "Carly they are only friends."

"Friends like you and her were? I know girls like her, they are incapable of just being friends with a man. They refuse to be alone, so before they get rid of one man, they make sure they have another one on a string." Carly sniped, pouring herself another glass of water.

"Carly…" He stopped himself, didn't she realize she was giving an accurate description of herself.

"You left town and she was over here two days later. Sonny was already feeling guilty because you left, he was an easy mark for her, and believe me she knew how to use his guilt." Carly whirled around to face him. "She never stops, every time she sees him, she's all over him, clinging to his arm, talking to him like he's the only one who can help her. And the way they talk, like they have some language only the two of them know. She is such a little slut and I…"

"Enough Carly." Jason interrupted. "I didn't come here to listen to your stupid accusations about Elizabeth. You have no idea what she is really like, so just don't say anything about her at all."

"Why did you come then?" She demanded.

"To say hello." He stepped over to the table. "And to drop off a present for Michael."

Carly leaned against the desk and studied him, he looked good, of course he always did. He still loved Michael too, she could hear it in his voice. Guilt washed over her, she hated the fact that she had hurt him over Michael. She remembered all of those times she had prayed for him to love her that way too, with his whole heart. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but he was right, she had never been in love with him. But she did love him, and she needed him in her life, especially with everything that was going on with Sonny. "So are you back for good?"

"I'll be here for awhile." Jason admitted. "At least until Sonny is out of trouble."

"The trouble I caused." Carly leaned back farther resting her hands on the desk and smiled at him. "You might be here for more than awhile then."

"Maybe." He headed for the door. "Don't forget to give Michael my present."

"Jase." Carly called after him.

He turned to face her, watching her cross over to him. "Are we okay?"

"Yes." He said simply, and it was true, the hurt was gone.

"Good." She hugged him again. "I missed my best friend."

"Don't you mean your leash holder?" Jason countered before opening the door. "Goodbye Carly."

Carly laughed it was good to see him. Is she had him on her side, she would get Sonny back, she just knew it. How could Sonny keep pushing her away with Jason here? She knew he still felt guilty as hell for hurting Jason, he wouldn't add to the guilt by dumping her as well. She grinned, it was time to take care of something else too. She opened the door. "Pete can you have the car downstairs in 15 minutes? I'm going out." She closed the door before he could respond, it was time to have some fun.

****

~Jake's~

"Lucky if I want to tell Jason it's my choice, it's my problem not yours." Emily said sitting on a chair in the small room.

"Wrong." Lucky shot back. "It became ours when we moved the body. It became ours when we pushed the car in the lake, when we cleaned the motel room, when we hid Ted in the freezer at Wyndamere, when we…"

"Okay you made your point." Emily interrupted him. "It's just I've been thinking about it and I believe that Jason can make this problem disappear for all of us."

Lucky sat on the bed facing her. "Em please, I couldn't stand it, if you start doubting me too."

"Lucky…"

"Please you, better than anyone else know what is going on with me." He pleaded. "The only time everything feels normal to me is when we're working on this. I need to do this."

"Lucky it's not just me, like you said, it's not just my problem anymore." She tried to explain. She didn't want to extinguish the hope in his eyes but she was beginning to have doubts. She hated to admit it, but for the first time since she met Lucky, she doubted his ability to handle things.

"I know, but look how far we've come already." He argued. "Please don't take this away from me, and give it to Jason. I don't want to lose anything else to Jason, I can't."

"You don't believe what Gia said today do you?" She reached out and took his hand. "You know Elizabeth loves you. Jason is just her friend, like Nikolas is just her friend. Besides Jason is your friend too, don't you remember how much he helped you when you left home?"

__

"They were lovers…Elizabeth belongs with Nikolas." The voices warred in his head. Carly's and one that he couldn't identify, but one he heard whenever he saw Elizabeth.

"Come on Lucky tell me you know that." Emily continued when he didn't say anything. She saw the vacant far off look in his eyes, and knew he wasn't there anymore. Every time he did that is scared the hell out of her. "Lucky." She tugged on his hand trying to get his attention.

He heard Emily's voice coming through the others in his head, and tried to concentrate on that. But it was difficult to block out the other voices.

"Lucky?"

Lucky shook the voices away. "She's changed Emily. She is slipping away from me, and every time I try to talk to her, to really talk to her, I just end up pushing her farther away."

"Lucky you've changed too, and Elizabeth doesn't know why or what is going on with you. All she knows is you don't want to be with her anymore, and then there are times, you act like you do, you are confusing her, and that is what hurts her." Emily argued softly. "If she knew what was going on with you, she would be right here beside you, you have to know that."

"No." He snapped immediately. "I don't want her to know."

"Lucky you just said she is slipping away. You have told her for months that she had to let you go. What will you do if she starts to listen to you? Even Elizabeth will give up sometime, and I have to tell you Lucky, she's getting close to doing that now." Maybe if she told him the truth, it would shake him into action.

"You think she will because of Jason don't you?" Lucky asked.

She sighed heavily. "They were only friends when he left."

"But now?" He could hear the doubt in her voice and it twisted his gut.

Emily was quiet while she thought about it. She had seen a sparkle in Elizabeth's eyes last night that hadn't been there in months, no actually it hadn't been there, since before the fire. The sparkle arrived the same time her brother did. "I don't know." She admitted finally. "If she has decided to give up on you, she might turn to Jason. The one thing I know for sure is that she will never turn to Nikolas."

Lucky rubbed a hand over his eyes. Anger and jealousy had settled in his gut, he knew that Emily was telling the truth. He didn't know why he pushed Elizabeth towards Nikolas, but he knew she would never do it. But Jason? He couldn't believe that she would turn to him, he was so much older, and he was dangerous. He shook his head, he couldn't see the appeal that Jason would hold for her. "I don't want to lose her." He said quietly, especially not to Jason.

"Then tell her the truth."

"I can't." Lucky groaned. "I try, I really do, I look at her and I want to tell her I love her, and I open my mouth to say it and out comes…"

"Be with Nikolas." Emily finished the phrase for him. If she was sick of hearing it she could only imagine how Elizabeth felt when she heard it.

"Yeah." Lucky nodded wearily.

"Okay let's try this." Emily moved over and sat beside him on the bed. "Pretend I'm Elizabeth."

"What?"

"I'm Elizabeth, now tell me how you feel." She snapped.

"Emily…"

"Do it Lucky." She ordered.

"Okay." Lucky looked at her, trying to picture Elizabeth. "I love you Elizabeth, and I want you to be with me."

"You know you can try to put some effort into this, I'm trying to help you here." Emily swatted the back of his head, when she heard his lazy reply.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes before trying again. "I love you Elizabeth." He said opening his eyes. He didn't see Emily anymore he saw Elizabeth. The Elizabeth before the fire, he reached out and touched her face. "Be with me Elizabeth." He whispered before he kissed her.

Emily froze for a second in shock, when she realized he wasn't stopping she put her hand on his chest, to push him back. "Lucky stop."

"Be with me." He repeated to Elizabeth before pulling her to him and kissing her again.

****

~Kelly's~

"What about Jason?" Elizabeth asked quickly.

"He's fine." Sonny said reading the worry in her eyes. "Last night, were you able to calm him down?"

"Yeah we talked. When he left he was fine." Elizabeth rubbed at the counter with her towel. "It was just hard for him to hear about A.J."

"He told you?" Sonny asked in surprise.

"Yes. He needed to talk to someone." She explained simply.

To say he was surprised would be putting it mildly, he had suspected that Jason had deep feelings for Elizabeth, and what she just said confirmed it for him. Jason didn't talk, to unburden himself. Since Robin had left he was closer to Jason then anyone, and Jason still chose to keep things that bothered him to himself, or he would ride them out of him on his bike. The fact that he had told Elizabeth what was bothering him, told Sonny everything about her role in Jason's life. He couldn't help but be glad about that. He focused on her again. "Do you know if he blames me?"

"No." She said immediately placing her hand over his to comfort. "He knows you wanted that baby. That if you could have you would have died to save the baby's life."

Sonny closed his eyes in relief. "I knew that I guess, but with the way the baby was conceived, I wondered."

Elizabeth was quiet, she didn't know the exact circumstances of the baby's conception. She knew when Jason got shot, he wanted nothing to do with Sonny or Carly, so it had to have happened before then. Even with all the pain he was in because of the gunshot wound, what had haunted him the most was what had happened between the three of them. She hadn't known what went on, but later after he left, and she found out about the baby, she knew. Somehow Jason had managed to forgive them, but she could still read the guilt in Sonny's eyes, it had been there ever since that morning she had burst into his penthouse to tell him Jason had been shot. "Jason doesn't lie, you know that. So if he said he forgave you before he left, he did. So maybe it's time you forgive yourself."

"It isn't that easy." Sonny said softly. Betrayal was the one thing he had trouble forgiving, and could never forget. Mike, and Brenda, were two people, he exorcised from his life for a long time because of it. Eventually he had forgiven Brenda, but he had never forgot it. And life with Mike, well he just never went away. But this time it was him that did the betraying, and he didn't know how to let it go, even if Jason had.

"Jason once told me that sometimes things happened fast, but you had to live through them slow. He's right, that's where the two of you are, but you two will get through this. I saw his face, when he saw you last night, he didn't get all stiff, like he had been before he left last January. He's back, more than likely to help you, so you have to know he's forgiven you, so let it go." Elizabeth repeated.

Sonny smiled slightly. "Are you giving me advice now?"

"Yes even though you'll probably ignore me." She smiled back. "Which could be a good thing. My life is such a mess right now, I have no right to give anyone advice."

"Are things still rough between you and Lucky?" He didn't know all the details, but since Lucky had returned, the times he had seen her, she seemed to be upset more than happy. 

"There is no me and Lucky." She corrected. "Or haven't you heard, according to Lucky there is only me and Nikolas."

"Nikolas?" Sonny asked in surprise. That made no sense to him.

"See you don't get it either." Elizabeth cried. "No one gets it. Everyone tells me that Lucky still loves me, that he needs me, but all Lucky ever says is that I should be with Nikolas. It is so frustrating. Everyone tells me how I should feel, what I should do." She sucked in a quick breath then continued on, warming to her rant. "They'll stop me and say don't give up on Lucky he loves you, he needs you, he's been through so much you can't give up on him." She scrubbed at the counter for a second. "And just when I am ready to scream enough, here comes Lucky and for a minute, he starts acting like the Lucky I loved, and then he opens his mouth and out flies be with Nikolas." 

She threw the rag in the sink in disgust. She didn't even see Sonny anymore, she had been holding this in for so long she couldn't stop it. "Like I was some freaking trophy and he was giving me to Nikolas. He doesn't have a right to tell me who I do or don't love, to tell me who I should be with. If he doesn't want to be with me anymore fine, but he doesn't get to dictate who I should date. If I wanted to be with Nikolas I would be with Nikolas. But I don't want to be with Nikolas. I want to be with Jason. So why doesn't Lucky understand that. Why does he keep pushing me towards Nikolas, I just don't get it." She paused to breathe again, then shut up entirely, embarrassed by her outburst. "Oh God. Can we just forget about the last minute?"

"So you want to be with Jason," Sonny said after a minute. When she got rolling she reminded him of Alexis. He was thrilled that she had said she wanted to be with Jason.

"No Lucky." Elizabeth corrected automatically.

"Elizabeth honey." He patted her hand. "You just said you wanted to be with Jason."

****

~Jake's~

"Elizabeth I love you." Lucky tightened his hold on a struggling Emily, practically devouring her with his mouth.

"Stop it Lucky." Emily yelled twisting her mouth away from his. His eyes were vacant, they were focused on her but she knew he wasn't seeing her. His hold tightened, and he pressed her back on the bed. 

"Be with me." He couldn't understand why Elizabeth was fighting him, he knew she loved him, so why was she fighting.

"Lucky." Emily managed to free her hand and she slapped him hard across the face, trying to bring him back to his senses. He was really starting to scare her.

Lucky's head jerked at the contact, bringing him back to reality, he looked down stunned to see Emily lying below him on the bed, staring up at him with fear in her eyes. "Emily?"

"Yes." She saw the recognition in his eyes and took a breath in relief. "Can you get off of me?"

He shot to his feet immediately. "God what did I do?" He saw the way she got off the bed, and moved to stand by the desk away from him, watching him warily. "I'm sorry Emily, I'm so sorry." He moved closer to her, but stopped a few feet away when she took a slight step back. "Did I hurt you?" He asked when he saw her rubbing her arms.

"No." She stopped rubbing her arms when she saw the look in his eyes. "You did scare me a little."

"What is wrong with me?" Lucky asked quietly slumping back down on the bed.

"I don't know." She took a breath and moved closer, sitting in the chair facing him. "But we will find out."

"I don't even remember what happened. I was talking to you, I said be with me and the next thing I knew you slapped me." He shuddered at the thought of losing control like that.

"Maybe it's just that you are tired of denying that you love Elizabeth, and once you allowed yourself to admit it, you lost control. This just convinces me that you need to talk to Elizabeth." Emily paused, "But without the actions."

"I don't know what if I lose it again? I don't want to scare her, or even worse hurt her." He said shaking his head slowly. "I don't think I should."

"Lucky obviously your heart is telling you what you want, which is Elizabeth. You just need to wrap your stubborn head around it and tell her."

"Do you really think so?" Lucky asked he really wanted to believe her. He knew he was losing Elizabeth more and more everyday. But he had to believe that if he did tell her what was going on, she would come back to him, but did he want her to come back to him that way? A large part of him said no, that it wouldn't be fair to play on her loyalty, but another part of him just wanted her to stand by him.

"Yes." Emily said getting to her feet, "So come on let's go tell her."

"Wait." He told her. "I'll tell her I want to be with her, and love her, but not about the problems I'm having. I don't want her to know about that."

"Why? Lucky she'll only want to help you." 

"I want her back because she loves me, not because she wants to help me." He got to his feet, cutting Emily off when she went to speak again. "I mean it Emily, no one tells her, or I won't talk to her at all."

"Alright." Emily agreed, as long as they were together, Elizabeth would find out soon enough and would help him.

****

~Kelly's~

"No I didn't, I couldn't have." Elizabeth muttered going pale. She was having crazy thoughts about Jason, but she couldn't have said that, could she?

"Well you did." Sonny saw the distress in her eyes and backed off. He had found out more than he'd hoped for anyway. "You need to think about what it is that you really want." He patted her hand, dropped a $20 on the counter and headed for the door. "Goodbye Elizabeth."

"Bye Sonny." She said automatically still frozen in her tracks, trying to remember what exactly she had said to Sonny.

The door opened before he reached it and Nikolas walked inside. Sonny nodded at him in passing. Nikolas glanced at him, before heading for the counter and Elizabeth. He saw her paleness and unnatural stiffness and immediately jumped to the only conclusion he had. "What did Sonny do to you?"

"What?" The sharp tone in his voice caused her to focus on him. "What did you say Nikolas?"

"What did Sonny do to upset you?" He demanded.

"Nothing." She picked up the dirty coffee cup and set it on the counter behind her, before moving to the register with the $20, and putting the $19.50 tip in her pocket. "What can I get you Nikolas?"

"Elizabeth…"

"Nikolas if this is the start of another lecture about who I chose to have as my friends you can stop it right now. I decide who my friends are, not you." Elizabeth cut him off, moving from behind the counter to clean a dirty table.

"Look I know things are hard with Lucky right now."

Elizabeth snorted.

"But you shouldn't give up." Nikolas persisted. "I think we might have gotten through to Lucky last night. I think he knows now that you and I are only friends."

She shook her head. "Well you're wrong Nikolas. He called me last night to tell me how I made you worry by walking out of here alone last night. We didn't get through to him at all. His mind is like a broken record and it is stuck on the be with Nikolas groove. And you know what I'm getting pretty tired of it."

"We were all worried. It was late and the docks are no place for you to be walking alone." He didn't like the resignation he heard in her voice.

"Who said I was alone?" Elizabeth asked moving to the counter again.

"What, you were with Jason?" Nikolas felt the familiar rush of jealousy at the thought of her with Jason. It was one thing for him to put aside his feelings for her because of Lucky. But he wouldn't do it for Jason.

"He walked me home yes."

"Elizabeth I know Lucky has hurt you, but you shouldn't turn to Jason because of that." The image of the time he had burst in the studio and saw her undressing Jason ran through his mind. Emily had believed them when they said they were only friends, but he had never really believed it.

__

"We were about to make love before you barged in here like the morality police."

Her words, no her taunt came back to him. Lucky had told him a couple of weeks ago that the real reason Jason was there was because she was helping him after he was shot. But he still remembered all the times he had seen them together, the looks that passed between them, and the image of that day in the studio, was burned in his mind.

"Jason is my friend." Elizabeth snapped slamming the dishes on the counter, drawing his attention back on her. "He will always be my friend, no matter what you say, what Lucky says, or what anyone says."

"Come on, you love Lucky, if he told you to stay away from Jason because he was dangerous and could get you hurt, you would listen to him, wouldn't you?" Nikolas pressed her.

"First of all, Lucky would never tell me who I can have as my friends, secondly if he ever did, I wouldn't let him dictate to me who my friends are, anymore than I would let him tell me who to date." She paused then went on angrily. "And lastly, what makes you think he would even care? He's not my boyfriend, he wants me to let him go, he might be glad that I'm listening to him."

"Does that mean you're giving up on Lucky, to date Jason?"

The look on his face was pure shock, and it caused her to slip behind the ever-present mask she always had with her. "I didn't say that. I just said that Jason will always be my friend, no matter what Lucky says, so you might as well drop the subject." 

"Elizabeth, remember what happened after he left? You had to have a bodyguard for weeks because of Sorel, you had a bomb in your studio."

"Nikolas." She cut him off. "I won't tell you again, back off." With that threat she stalked into the kitchen.

Nikolas sighed and moved over to a table to sit. It was starting all over again. Jason was hardly even back, and they were already fighting over him. It had taken him a long time, but he finally managed to get their friendship back on track. It had been damaged when he kissed her on her birthday, but it was strained almost to the edge by his jealousy over Jason. 

After Jason left, he finally managed to get their friendship back on track, basically because she had refused to discuss her friendships with Sonny and Jason with him, and he had refrained from calling her on it. He knew he was still in love with her, but he had buried his feelings because her friendship was too important to him to lose. Now though he could sense her pulling away from him again, and it coincided with the arrival of Jason.

"Nikolas are you okay?" A blonde woman paused by his table, touching his arm in concern.

"Mom." He stood up and gave her a hug.

"What's wrong?" Laura Spencer asked sitting at the table.

"I just had a disagreement with Elizabeth." He admitted.

"This has to be so hard on you." Laura said patting his hand. She knew Nikolas was in love with Elizabeth, but she also knew, that he would never act on those feelings, not now.

"I can handle it." He said softly. "I finally understand what Stefan went through for all those years though."

"What do you mean?" Laura asked in confusion.

"All those years he was in love with you, and had to watch while you loved someone else." He shook his head. "He's a lot stronger than I gave him credit for."

"Oh Nikolas." Laura cried her eyes started to water at his words. She hated that her oldest son was in pain, because he was trying to help her youngest son. "I'm so sorry that you're hurting because of Elizabeth and Lucky."

"I had resigned myself to the fact that she will never love me the way I love her. I am all for her and Lucky getting back together, because I saw how much they loved each other. So don't get me wrong I support that totally, but it's beginning to look like that isn't what Elizabeth wants." Nikolas explained.

"What do you mean?" Laura glanced through the opening to look at a laughing Elizabeth in the kitchen.

"I mean I think she has given up on Lucky. She is starting to believe that they are over." Nikolas said sadly.

"That can't be right, she loves Lucky, of course she hasn't given up on him." She had too, Elizabeth was probably the only one who could get through to her son. She had done it once before, and Laura was counting on her to do it again.

"Maybe before, she would have hung on, but things are different now."

"Why what's changed?" Laura demanded.

"Jason's back." He said simply.

****

~GH~

"Did someone here page me?" Dr. Monica Quartermaine asked at the nurse's station.

"Yes." A nurse pointed to the lounge. "He wanted to speak with you."

Monica rubbed her neck wearily heading for the lounge. She had been operating for six hours straight, all she wanted to do now, was eat and sleep. She looked in the lounge and stopped in surprise, "Jason?"

Jason turned around to look at her. "Hello Monica."

"I can't believe you're here." Monica cried tiredness forgotten.

He stood and gave her the hug he knew she wanted. He had grown to care about her a lot, to him she had finally become his mother.

She stepped back. "When did you get in town?"

"Yesterday."

"Are you staying?" She couldn't help asking even though she knew he probably wouldn't answer her.

Jason shrugged saying nothing.

She could see his unease, and knowing how much he hated hospitals, she realized that he must have had a purpose to seek her out here. As much as she would love to believe he had come just to see her, she knew he must have another reason to hunt her down. "Well I hope you'll be around for awhile." She sat quickly before she gave into temptation and tried to hug him again. "You look good."

He sat beside her reluctantly, he was already feeling trapped by this place, and he had only been waiting for 15 minutes. He hated the hospital so much, but he needed to speak to her, and he would rather do it here, than at 66 Harborview Road. "Thanks. I need to ask you something."

"Okay." Monica waited for him to go on, content just to sit beside him.

"Did A.J. push Carly or was it an accident?" Jason asked his eyes locked on her face, looking for a lie, and the truth, while he waited her answer. He had to know the truth, because if A.J. had done it deliberately he was partially to blame.

****

~Docks~

"So you want to try this again?" Emily asked.

"Try what?" Lucky turned from the water to look at her.

"Do you want to practice what you're going to say to Elizabeth?"

"I don't know, look what happened last time." Lucky said pausing by the bench.

Emily turned to look at him, "Just talk to me, and try it again, I want to make sure you don't freeze up, when we get there."

"Okay." Lucky shrugged. "I love you Elizabeth, be with me."

"Good." Emily grinned, "Now just keep repeating that and everything will go fine."

"Be with me." Lucky repeated looking into her face.

"I knew it. You sonofabitch." A male voice came from behind Lucky. 

Before Lucky could identify the voice, he was grabbed from behind and turned around, he barely had time to register Juan's face before Juan's fist connected with his jaw, sending him staggering back into Emily.

****

~Kelly's~

Elizabeth walked out of the kitchen and saw Nikolas in deep conversation with Laura. Judging from the serious look on Laura's face, it was probably about her and Lucky. She sighed heavily, sometimes she felt so overloaded. She was only 18 and everyone was relying on her, to save Lucky, when sometimes all she wanted to do, was run as far as she could away from everything. But that would be selfish, and Lizzie was the selfish one, not Elizabeth. Well at least not visibly selfish anyway.

She glanced to the door, when it opened, swallowing a groan, when she recognized the latest customer.

Carly spotted Elizabeth behind the counter and smiled cattily, moving towards the counter. "E-liz-a-beth, you're right where you belong as usual."

"And where would that be Carly?" Elizabeth asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"With the rest of the help, behind the counter." Carly said. "So get busy and serve me." She flipped over the coffee cup. "I'm waiting."

Elizabeth picked up the coffee pot, and thought about it for a long minute. Inflicting 3rd degree burns on the bottle blonde probably wouldn't be very nice. Satisfying but not very nice. It was times like this that she hated being nice, she thought to herself, filling the coffee cup.


	5. Tap Tap Tap

****

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 5

****

~Docks~

Lucky fell hard into Emily sending them both to the ground. He pushed to his feet immediately and charged Juan, ramming his shoulder into Juan's unprotected gut and driving him backwards until they hit the stairs.

Juan clasped his hands together and brought them down hard on Lucky's back forcing him to let go. He followed it up by bringing his knee up and catching Lucky in the chest and sending him backwards.

"Stop it!" Emily screamed getting to her knees.

Lucky charged Juan again catching him across the jaw, this time it was Juan who left his feet.

"Lucky stop." Emily cried getting to her feet and grabbing his arm before he could go after Juan again.

Juan shot to his feet and came up on her other side, trying to get to Lucky again.

"Juan stop it." Emily yelled putting a hand on both their chests to keep them separated.

"Get out of the way Emily." Juan ordered. "This is between him and me."

"Yeah move Em, this has been a long time coming." Lucky said locking his eyes on Juan.

"You two are behaving like idiots." Emily cried. She turned to Juan and shoved him back a step. "What the hell were you thinking attacking him like that?"

"I heard what he said to you, that he wanted to be with you." Juan snapped. "You're my girlfriend and he finally admitted he wanted to be with you, like I always knew he did. Don't try to lie for him now."

"Juan that wasn't what he meant." Emily rubbed at her sore elbow. "Even if it was there was no reason for you to hit him."

"Are you hurt Emily?"

She whipped around at Lucky's words. "And you, charging him like that. What were you thinking?"

"He hit me Emily was I just supposed to take that." Lucky argued.

She shook her head in disgust. "It is ridiculous of me to think that the male ego would actually let someone talk about what happened instead of just reacting, with their fists." She turned so she could move her eyes from both of them. "If you two idiots want to continue beating your heads in, you can do it without me." She focused on Juan. "But you know me better than that, you've never walked in on me with someone else." Juan shifted on his feet guiltily. She turned to Lucky. "And you, you know how he feels about you, and how he would take what he heard. You were just looking for an excuse to hit him." Lucky refused to meet her eyes. "I'm leaving now, to let you little boys have your fun." With that she brushed past them both and headed down the dock, leaving Lucky and Juan glaring at each other.

****

~GH~

Monica looked at him, the question surprised her, but it shouldn't have. This Jason was different from the boy she had raised, but in a lot of respects he still thought the same. "It was an accident."

Jason was quiet while he studied her face.

"Alan and Edward didn't believe it at first, Alan even kicked A.J. out of the house. But I know it was an accident. A.J. has done a lot of bad things, but he would never deliberately try to harm a baby." Monica went on. "He said it was an accident and I believe him."

"It wouldn't be the first time that he lied Monica."

"No I know that. But I know my son. Even when I tried to hide the truth about A.J. to myself, I still saw it. When I was in denial over his drinking, I still saw it." She explained. "When you're a parent you see the bad in your child, even though you focus on the good, the bad is still there, you just ignore it."

Jason shrugged, she believed what she was saying that was obvious. What had happened was in the past, both Sonny and Carly had dealt with it and let it go, so why shouldn't he? He didn't normally focus on the past, but he knew the way A.J. got when it came to him. 

A.J. had originally gone after Michael because of him and that was before he even knew Michael was his child. A.J. had hung around Robin all the time, because he knew she was close to him. It was true that Carly and A.J. had formed a friendship on their own, but once she moved into the Penthouse with him, and even after the baby's paternity was "revealed" to be Jason's, A.J. kept coming around. Lila had once told him, and A.J. had told him repeatedly that Jason Quartermaine and A.J. had competed over everything and it seemed that A.J. was trying to keep that going with him.

When he left, A.J. didn't have him to focus on anymore. Sonny had told him that A.J. knew that he provided the evidence that got Carly and Michael away from the Quartermaines, so in that sense he had beaten A.J. yet again. A.J. didn't like to lose, and with him not being there Carly and Sonny were perfect targets.

"Jason?" Monica touched his arm, bringing his attention back to her. "Do you believe me?"

"I know you believe what you're saying." Jason said finally.

"The question is do you?" Monica pressed him, it had taken her a lot of time but she finally came to realize that she had been blessed with five beautiful children. Dawn and Jason had both died. But she still had A.J., Emily, and this Jason, and possibly a new life soon. She didn't want her children at odds over something as serious as this.

Jason didn't answer and got to his feet. "I need to go."

Monica rose and gave him another hug. "It's so good to see you."

Jason smiled softly at her, and she caught her breath in that moment he looked so much like her other Jason she felt a flash of pain. "It's good to see you too Monica." He touched her hand and then was gone.

****

~Kelly's~

Elizabeth set the coffeepot back on the burner, and turned away, ignoring Carly while she started to fill the sugar shakers. Carly began to tap her spoon against the saucer.

Tap-tap-tap … tap-tap-tap … tap-tap-tap … tap-tap-tap.

"Was there something else you wanted Carly?" Elizabeth asked after about a minute of the tapping.

"I was just thinking how sad some people could be." Carly started, swirling her finger over the rim of her cup.

"Doing a little self-realization there Carly?" Elizabeth asked sweetly.

Carly glared at her. "Some people think they're so close to someone else, when it turns out they really don't matter to them at all."

Elizabeth set down the sugar pitcher and moved towards the counter. "Why don't you just spit out whatever is in your head today Carly, because I have other things to do."

"Fine." She snapped. "Jason's back, but I guess you didn't know that did you? Turns out you don't mean a damn to him after all."

Elizabeth smiled and placed her hands on the counter. "So he finally got around to seeing you. That's good." She leaned closer. "You see I saw him last night, this morning, I'll more than likely see him tonight. So wasn't it nice of him to squeeze you in finally?" She taunted.

Carly slapped her hand on the counter. "You stay the hell away from him, or I'll pull your damn hair out."

"Gee Carly, wasn't it just last week you threatened to do that to me if I went near Sonny? You really need to learn some new threats." She paused. "Because that one's getting old."

"Listen little girl." Carly sniped. "You stay the hell away from Jason and from Sonny. You do not want to mess with me on this."

"When are you going to learn that you don't scare me. I'll see who I want, when I want, and no one is going to stop me." Elizabeth told her, her voice rising a little in anger.

****

~Table~

Nikolas turned back from the counter to look at his mother. "You see what I mean."

Laura looked surprised. "I haven't heard Elizabeth speak like that before."

"That's because the last time she was around Jason, you didn't know about it until the end. So you never saw them together. She's like that a lot around him. You never know what she'll say, or to who." Nikolas told her wearily.

__

"Mom, I know you say he's bad news, but I like working at the club, I like working with Luke." Laura said pulling her long hair back in a ponytail, before pulling at the top of her tube top trying to make it stay.

"Laura he's trouble, Scottie doesn't like you working there anymore than I do." Lesley said sitting on the bed in the small room. "He's your husband you should respect his wishes."

"Like you respected your husbands?" Laura shot back, glaring at her through the mirror, while applying her lipstick. "I'm not doing anything wrong, it's just my job. Luke's my boss, and I'll see him if I want too, it's not like I'm having an affair with him."

Laura frowned at the memory, it was hard sometimes to remember that she was ever that young and willful, she glanced towards the counter, seeing a similar look of derision on Elizabeth's face that she had once directed at her mom. History was repeating itself, or so it seemed.

****

~Counter~

"I told you not to mess with me." Carly said furious. How dare this little slut try to talk back to her. "I won't warn you again."

"What are you going to do Carly? Hit me again? Try it, you're not pregnant this time, so believe me you hit me again, and I will be all over your ass." Elizabeth warned her. She knew she shouldn't be having fun with this, but confronting Carly like this, was fun to her.

Carly was seething with anger and she got to her feet. "Remember what I said little girl."

"Don't you get it Carly?" Elizabeth said before the blonde could walk away. "I don't go looking for Sonny or Jason, they find me." She leaned back and crossed her arms over his chest. "That's one of the biggest differences between you and me. They **want** to see me, to talk to me, to be around me. Whereas they **have** to talk to you."

"You bitch." Carly headed towards the opening of the counter.

Elizabeth moved around to meet her.

"Carly stop it." Bobbie's voice sounded and she put her arm around Carly's waist stilling her daughter's forward progress and then moving in front of her.

Elizabeth continued around the counter so she stood behind Bobbie. "It's okay Bobbie, we were just getting a few things straight."

"How by hitting each other? I see enough blood in the hospital I don't need to see it here." Bobbie snapped, giving Carly a shove towards the door. "Come on Carly we're leaving."

"Mama stop it." Carly yelled. "That bitch needs to learn her place."

Emily entered the diner in time to see Carly try to get past Bobbie and head for Elizabeth. Her eyes widened when Elizabeth grinned and moved towards Carly only to stop when Nikolas stepped in front of her. What the hell was going on today?

"Elizabeth you don't want to do this." Nikolas said.

"Are you telling me what to do now too?" Elizabeth demanded. Her anger was still there, so it easily switched targets. "If so maybe you've been around Lucky too long."

"No," Nikolas tried to reason with her. "But you do work here, do you really think you should fight here too? Especially with Carly? Wouldn't that be like letting her win?"

"Ugh." Elizabeth sighed and stalked to the kitchen. "Then get her out of here." She hated that he was right.

Bobbie had dragged Carly out of the diner while Nikolas was talking to Elizabeth, a very amused Pete followed his charge.

Emily looked at Laura, who just shook her head. "What happened?" She hissed at Nikolas.

"Carly tried to tell her to stay away from your brother." Nikolas explained. "You can see how well that worked." He moved back to the table, while Emily headed for the counter.

"Hey Em." Elizabeth said breezily, she was still wired from her confrontation with Carly, but tried to keep her voice on an even keel.

"Were you really going to hit her?" Emily asked sitting down.

"Probably, although I haven't been in a fight since 3rd grade, so I probably should practice before our next meeting." Elizabeth said, making her hand into a fist, it probably packed more power then it had then too.

"Eliza…" She broke off. "Why is everyone fighting today? First Lucky and Juan, now you and Carly. Did everybody watch that fake wrestling show last night?"

"What do you mean Lucky and Juan?" Elizabeth asked. "Emily what happened to you?" She took Emily's arm in concern when she saw some blood on her elbow.

"Juan decked Lucky and he sort of fell into me, and I scraped my elbow on the dock." Emily explained twisting her arm, to see the cut. 

"I'll get a first aid kit. Stay there." Elizabeth said disappearing into the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" Nikolas said from her side.

"Yeah it's just a scratch." Emily told him.

"Good. Where is Lucky now?" 

"I left him on the docks with Juan. If they wanted to fight they were going to have to do it without me." She told him.

Nikolas rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I better go stop them then." He touched her back lightly. "Take care I'll talk to you later."

Emily nodded, while Laura and Nikolas headed for the door.

"Let's see what we got." Elizabeth said opening the kit, and pulling out some Neosporin and a bandage.

"You weren't serious about hitting Carly were you?" Emily asked again, while Elizabeth cleaned her cut.

"Yes." She looked up. "Does that surprise you Em?"

"Yes." Emily flinched at the sting of the ointment. "Elizabeth you're not like this what's going on?"

"It was just Carly, you know how she is. You've had several run-ins with her yourself." Elizabeth wished she would just drop it. Emily pressing her for details wasn't going to lead anywhere good, her emotions were still all over the place right now.

"I know how she is, but you don't respond to it, by sinking to her level."

"What I'm supposed to just nod my head and agree, when she starts telling me I can't see Jason or Sonny?" Elizabeth demanded.

"No of course not." 

"It's my life, and I will see who I want to, no one will tell me otherwise. I thought you would understand that. How many people, myself included tried to tell you not to see Juan?" Elizabeth asked. "You didn't listen to anyone, why should I?"

"See? You mean you're dating Jason?" Emily asked in surprise.

Elizabeth fumbled with the snap on the first aid kit. "No, but if I was, I wouldn't stop just because someone told me too."

Emily was quiet for a long time, while she watched Elizabeth fidget. "Are you thinking about dating Jason?" She asked softly.

Elizabeth froze. Was she thinking about dating Jason? She couldn't be, because that would mean she had given up on Lucky. _"Elizabeth honey," Sonny patted her hand. "You just said you wanted to be with Jason."_ Sonny's words came back to her, causing her to drop the first aid kit. She bent to pick it up, and sighed in relief when she heard Laura's voice.

"So did Elizabeth fix you up?" Laura asked Emily. She had heard Emily's question, and more importantly saw Elizabeth's reaction to it. She saw it, and she worried about it.

"Hi Laura." Elizabeth said when she stood. "I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner, what can I get you?"

"Some iced tea would be good." Laura told her.

Elizabeth poured her a glass, then moved into the kitchen.

Elizabeth never answered, the realization crossed Emily's mind. What did that mean for Lucky? What did that mean for Jason? She closed her eyes, trying to bring back her first image of Jason last night. He had been standing on the docks holding Elizabeth. She concentrated hard, trying to remember his facial expression. He had been standing sideways, and there was enough light that she could see his features, before he saw her, what did he look like, it was almost there…

"Emily."

Laura's voice broke the image in her mind before it became clear. "I'm sorry, what did you say Laura?"

"Is your arm okay?" 

"Yeah it's just a scratch." Emily got to her feet. "I need to go, will you tell Elizabeth I'll be back later?"

"Sure. Goodb…" Laura's voice trailed off, Emily was already gone.

"Where was she going in such a hurry?" Elizabeth asked moving back to the counter.

"I don't know, she said she would be back later." Laura patted the stool beside her. "Can you sit for a minute?"

"Sure." Elizabeth said warily moving to sit next to her, she couldn't help the tension that formed at the base of her neck. "What do you need Laura?"

"It's about you…" Laura turned to look at the woman she considered her daughter. "And Lucky."

****

~L&B~

Alexis groaned in frustration and began to hit her head, on the open law books in front of her. This was not going good. Every avenue she looked for, every brilliant idea she thought she had, none of them panned out. She could only see two options to help Sonny with his problem and neither one of them were good.

She leaned back against her chair. She fought hard for all her clients, but the need to help him was stronger than it was for her other clients. It was strange because originally she hadn't wanted anything to do with Sonny. She had decided to help Jason with Carly's case after she shot Tony, because she felt so guilty for letting Helena blackmail her into getting him off for kidnapping Michael. She then helped Jason get partial custody of Michael, as a favor to Ned, and also because she knew Jason genuinely loved the boy. That was supposed to be it. 

She rubbed at the back of her neck, but that wasn't it, she found herself getting pulled more and more into Jason's situations with the cops, and then when Sonny returned, she found herself expected to help him too. Sure she bitched about it, but it was a thrill taking on Dara and the other D.A.'s and beating them. It was addicting, but she still thought she could walk away.

When Jason had left she almost thought she would walk, but Sonny had been persuasive. Then when the possibility of having to take the Quartermaines to court so he could see his child with Carly, their relationship changed again. She'd had to press him on his history, and he opened up to her about his childhood, and she knew then, that she could never walk away from him. She wasn't used to losing, and she was enough of a Cassadine, that the idea and the deed never set well with her. She frowned at the books on her desk again, she wasn't going to lose, there was another way out of this for Sonny, and she was going to find it.

"So is that how it works, you glare at the books, and the law changes for you?"

Alexis looked up with a smile. "V, when did you get back in town?" She got up to give her friend a hug.

"We got back late last night." V told her, sitting in the chair in front of Alexis's desk.

"So how was Alaska? Did you past muster?" Alexis asked.

The love and respect she had for her friend, allowed V to let herself slump in the chair. "I think the verdict is still out on that one."

"I doubt that V I've met the Jack's family, they had to love you." Alexis said encouragingly.

"When they met you, you weren't auditioning for a place in their son's life, and even worse, potentially trying to replace their beloved daughter-in-law." V told her.

"Jax proposed?" Alexis asked.

"No." V said quickly. Thank God he hadn't done that. "It's way to soon to be thinking like that, we just started dating six weeks ago. But I think his parent's think I'm trying to take Brenda's place.

"They loved her a lot."

"I know, believe me I know that." V began to tap her foot on the floor. "I know how much Jax loved her too, and I would never try to take her place, or try to make him forget about her. I just want to have my own place in his life."

"You do, you have to know…"

"Alexis did you see a fax from Milan?" Chloe asked entering the room. "Sorry I didn't know you weren't alone. Hi V it's nice to see you again." She said politely.

V got to her feet quickly, dwarfing the smaller blonde, but feeling intimidated anyway. "I was just leaving, Alexis I'll talk to you later." She headed for the door, her eye may be untrained but she knew style when she saw it, and Chloe certainly had it. "Chloe." She nodded at her as she passed.

Chloe looked after her before sighing heavily. "Do you think she'll ever forgive me?"

"She's not mad at you, she just feels uncomfortable around you." Alexis said torn between her two friends. "You have to admit it was a rather unorthodox situation for awhile."

"I know but I like her, I wished she liked me, after all its over now, I just wish she would move past it." Chloe said sliding in the chair V had vacated, her posture the same as V's had been a few moments before.

"She almost lost the man she loves because of you, she's entitled, to be a bit standoffish." Alexis told her. "Now what's this about a fax?"

****

~Kelly's~

"What about Lucky?" Elizabeth asked nervously.

Laura could see the wariness in Elizabeth's eyes. "How is it going with you two?"

"It's the same, he tells me I should be with Nikolas." Elizabeth said simply.

"You know he doesn't mean that." Laura watched Elizabeth closely for her reaction, she saw a flash of anger in the girl's eyes for an instant before a mask descended. That surprised and concerned her, she didn't know Elizabeth could hide her feelings that well.

"That's what everybody says."

"What do you say?" Laura asked.

Elizabeth shrugged, she didn't know how she felt for sure. She knew that she was getting tired of being in limbo, and the idea of not being with Lucky wasn't as scary as it once was. But she knew that wasn't what Laura wanted or needed to hear from her.

"Is Nikolas right are you giving up on Lucky?"

"That didn't take long did it?" Elizabeth snapped, before sighing and trying again. "I should have known he would talk to you."

"He needed to talk to someone, I'm afraid you surprised him." Laura told her.

"How long am I supposed to wait Laura? How long am I supposed to hang on, while he tells me over and over again that he doesn't love me, that he doesn't want to be with me, that he wants me to be with someone else?" Elizabeth asked letting some of the doubt show. "How long am I supposed to wait for him?"

"Oh honey." Laura patted her hand. "I know this has to be killing you, but you have to see the love in Lucky's eyes, the love that is still there whenever he looks at you."

"Didn't you once say that love was not enough?" Elizabeth demanded. Her mask was cracking and her real feelings were coming through. She wanted to shut up but couldn't. "You love Luke, but it wasn't enough to save your marriage."

"We're still married." Laura retorted.

"In name yes, but he lives over the club, you live at your house, you dated someone else for months. How is that a marriage?" Elizabeth shot to her feet and paced away.

"I did not come here to talk about me and Luke." Laura said finally.

"I can't question you, but you can grill me about Lucky is that it?" Elizabeth sniped. She saw Laura flinch and guilt hit her. "I'm sorry Laura, I didn't mean any of that." She moved to sit down beside her again. "I guess I'm still wired over my fight with Carly. I didn't mean to hurt you, Luke and you are none of my business."

"It's okay Elizabeth, I know this is hard for you, I wish I didn't have to question you either. I wish I could just let it go, and let you and Lucky work this out on your own." Laura said softly. "It's just you helped so much the last time he wanted nothing to do with Luke or me. I know it's not fair, but I wanted that help again. That's my selfish motivation, I want my son back, and I think you can help with that. But it's not all selfishness either, if I get my son back, you get Lucky back. I saw how much you loved my son, how much he loved you, how happy you two were. You grieved as I hard as I did." The tears started falling from Laura's eyes. "But we got a miracle, he's back, he just needs our help to find his way home."

Elizabeth reached out and hugged Laura. She was right, Lucky did need her help, she couldn't give up on him. She would never be able to face Laura if she did. She would never be able to live with herself, either. "Of course I will help Lucky, if he'll let me. You know that."

Laura squeezed her hard in relief. "If you ever want to talk, just come on by."

Elizabeth smiled automatically. "Tell Lulu I'll come by next week and we'll finish that painting we started."

"I'll tell her." Laura got to her feet, the mask was back in Elizabeth's eyes, and she felt guilty, "Goodnight Elizabeth."

****

~Docks~

"Why don't you just admit the truth, you want Emily. Just like I've been saying ever since you came back." Juan said shoving his hands in his pockets.

Lucky smirked at him. "You just never get it Juan, Emily has been my friend for years, she will always be my friend." He paused then went on. "And long after your gone she will still be my friend."

"I'm not going anywhere." Juan snapped.

"Juan you're already out the door, you're just too stupid to realize it." Emily was right when she accused him of looking for an excuse to hit Juan. The guy was an idiotic, hothead and he didn't deserve Emily. In a sense the whole Ted problem happened because of him.

Juan pulled his arm back to swing at Lucky, only to get jerked backwards.

"Stop it Juan." Nikolas said moving in between him and Lucky.

"I should've figured you'd show up. What you want a shot at me too?" Juan cried shoving Nikolas back a step. "Bring it on."

"Juan grow up." Nikolas told him tiredly. He couldn't help but wonder for the thousandth time what Emily saw in him, he was nothing but attitude.

"I'm not going anywhere." Juan told them both. "I'm with Emily, so you two better deal with it."

Lucky shook his head. "Actually you're not with her, you cheated and she dumped your ass, so why don't you do us all a favor and go back to Puerto Rico." He couldn't help going on. "But you won't do that will you? Not as long as she's helping you with recording career."

"Lucky!"

Emily's yell stopped Juan's latest rush.

Lucky flinched when he saw the look she gave him. "Emily I'm sor…"

"Save it Lucky." Emily snapped. "Is it so hard for you to believe that he might like me for me?" She demanded.

"Yeah." Juan said.

"And you shut up too." Emily turned on him. Now she was the one who wanted to hit somebody.

"Emily are you okay?" Nikolas asked, trying to deflect her anger.

Emily counted to ten in her head. "Can we just try to get along? I have enough to worry about without wondering when you two are going to attack each other."

"Let's move on then." Nikolas said immediately. "Has anyone heard when the next rave is yet?"

"No. The last one got busted after we left, so their keeping it quiet until the day of, less likely for the cops to find out that way." Juan answered.

"We need to find out when and where." Lucky said.

"We need to make sure Zander Smith is there, or this is going to be all for nothing." Nikolas advised them. "Juan do any of your friends know him? Maybe we can find out if he will be there."

"You think I hang around with druggies?" Juan demanded.

"Juan he didn't say that, he just knows that you've been to more raves then we have." Emily said quickly trying to ward off another fight. She was getting a headache.

"He seemed pretty in to Elizabeth, maybe he'll hunt her up."

"He drugged her." Lucky snapped turning on Juan, "I don't think he'll go looking for her now."

"Fine I can check with Allison, maybe she knows, she will also be one of the first people who will know where the rave will be held." Juan offered, his eyes on Emily.

Emily stiffened and swallowed hard. "You should do that then, she'll be happy to hear from you."

"Emily…"

"No you really should talk to her." Emily said. "We need some information and you're our best bet for it."

"Okay I'll call her." Juan shoved his hands in his pockets. "Can we talk Emily?"

"No we can't, I need to finish what I started with Lucky, that is before you decided to hit him." Emily turned to Lucky. "Come on."

"You still want to do this?" Lucky asked in surprise.

"Yes and you will do this, you will do it right now." Emily grabbed his hand. "Bye Nikolas, Juan." She tugged on Lucky hand and practically drug him down the dock towards Kelly's.

****

~Kelly's~

Elizabeth cleared a table, her mind not on the dishes, but on her conversation with Laura. She didn't blame Laura, she just wanted her son back, but she couldn't help feeling trapped by all the pressure that was put on her. With everything that was going on with Emily, and the last several months with Lucky, it was just wearing on her. Going after Carly earlier today, and then snapping at Laura, told her she was heading to her breaking point. The last time she neared that point, she went out looking for trouble and instead found Jason. Or rather he found her.

She carried the dishes to the counter, was it somehow prophetic that he was back, just when she was about to blow again? She smiled weakly while she set a burger in front of her customer, and then moved behind the counter. She glanced up when the bell on the door rang, and saw Lucky enter the diner.

She took a deep breath and pasted a fake smile on her face.

"Hi Elizabeth." Lucky said crossing to the counter and sitting down. "You look like you're in a good mood."

There was a time when he knew her so well, that he would see the fakeness, she shrugged guess that time was gone. "Better than you I hear, who won the fight?"

Lucky shifted on the stool. "You heard about that."

"Yes I'm the one who bandaged Emily up." Elizabeth said. "She wasn't happy."

"I know she made that clear."

"Did you want anything?" Elizabeth asked setting a soda in front of him.

"Actually I need to talk to you." Lucky said watching her closely. 

"Just let me take this order out." Elizabeth said picking up some plates and taking them to a table.

Lucky turned around and looked at Emily who was watching through the door. She gave him a thumbs up.

Lucky turned back around. "Be with me." He said quietly in practice.

"Alright Lucky, what did you want to talk to me about?" Elizabeth asked coming to a stop in front of him, on the other side of the counter.

"It's just…" He broke off a feeling of love welled up in him as he looked at her, and for once the voice in his head that he normally heard when he saw her was quiet.

"Lucky?" She stepped closer to the counter in concern. "Are you okay?"

"I know I've hurt you in the last few months, and I'm sorry about that." He tried again. "I never really wanted to do that, in fact it's the last thing I ever want to do. I hope you know that."

Elizabeth was quiet, and then surprised when he reached over and took her hand. For a minute when she searched his eyes, she thought she saw a glimpse of the boy she fell in love with so long ago. Then he blinked, and it was gone. "Lucky?"

"There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time now, and I just can't wait anymore." Lucky took a deep breath and prepared to tell her that he still loved her. "I really want you to be…with Nikolas."

Elizabeth jerked her hand from his, incensed. This really was the last time she was going to let him do this to her. "I am so tired of this Lucky. I don't know how many times I have to tell you that I don't want to be with Nikolas. Can you not hear is that it?" She demanded, pulling off her apron and dropping it on the counter.

"Wait Elizabeth…" He'd seen the hurt flash in her eyes before the anger arrived. What did he say, it obviously wasn't what he meant too.

"Lucky I have tried to be patient, to give you the benefit of the doubt. I have let you hurt me over and over again, but I'm tired of it." She headed for the door. "I'm tired of it, and I'm tired of you Lucky." She shoved the door open almost hitting Emily who was standing to the side of it, but she never saw her, she never even paused. She stormed out of the courtyard to the docks.

"Elizabeth?" Tammy called entering the courtyard from the other side with Mike.

"What did you say?" Emily demanded when Lucky walked out of the diner.

"What do you think?" Lucky said disgustedly.

"Go after her." Emily ordered him, and Lucky took off.

****

~Alley~

Elizabeth wasn't sure where she was going until she heard the roar of a motorcycle. She bit her lip and took off towards the sound. "Hey." She said breathlessly.

Jason pulled off his helmet and looked at an out of breath Elizabeth. "Hey."

"When I heard the bike I was hoping it was you." She told him.

She was out of breath, and her eyes looked a bit wild, something had set her off. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Ok. Ask me what I hate more than anything in this world." She demanded moving closer to the bike he was straddling.

"Ok." He crossed his arms over his chest. "What do you hate more than anything in this world?"

"When Lucky tells me to be with Nikolas."

Jason looked at her in surprise, that didn't make any sense. "That happened tonight?"

She stepped closer, putting her hands on her hips. "Yeah for like the 10,000th time."

"Why would he say it?"

"I don't know." She spread her arms to the sky in frustration. "He came into Kelly's. He made this huge buildup like something was going to be different. I looked in his eyes and for a second, I though I saw love there. Lucky was practically begging me to listen to him, so I listen to him, and guess what he says?"

Jason shook his head. "Be with Nikolas."

She nodded. "Why do I keep falling like this? Why do I keep diving right in? Why won't Lucky stop hurting me?"

He didn't know, but he didn't like to see her in pain. "Why would Lucky want you to be with Nikolas?"

"Who knows? Ever since he got back, he just decided that I should be in love with Nikolas, and just be his friend. It's driving me crazy." She moved closer and rested her hands on the other side of the handlebars. "It's like his brain is stuck there, and then he turns around and starts acting like he loves me again, then the whole damn thing just starts over and over. Ugh." She finished with a groan and looked up at the sky.

"You want a ride?" He asked softly.

Her grin was instantaneous and wide, "I thought you'd never ask." She moved around, taking the helmet from him, pulling it on quickly and climbing on behind him on the bike. She slipped her arms around him and felt happy for the first time since this morning.

The bike took off with a roar.

"Elizabeth." Lucky yelled entering the alley behind them, but it was too late she was gone.

****

~Kelly's~

"What happened?" Emily asked when Lucky came back inside the diner.

"She left with Jason." He told her angrily. "She climbed on his bike and took off."

"Well she was pretty upset, maybe you should let it go for tonight." Emily said. And maybe she needed to talk to her brother, to find out what he thought about all of this. Elizabeth seemed to heading straight for Jason whenever she had problems, she was beginning to wonder if something was going on between them.

"No. I'm going to find her tonight." Lucky said turning to head for the door.

"Hold it Lucky." Tammy moved in front of him. "Where do you think your going?"

"To find Elizabeth?"

"No you're not." Tammy snapped, putting a hand on her hip. "You know I don't care if the family that you no longer claim owns this place or not. I run it not them. And you just ran out my best waitress." She shoved an apron in his hands. "So that makes you the waitress tonight."

"Tammy."

"I don't want to hear it Lucky, you used to work here, you know what to do, so do it." Tammy ordered before stalking out of the diner, with Mike at her heels.

Emily smothered a grin, when she saw the look on Lucky's face.


	6. Boxing

****

Plea: Again let me know what you think. Also this is pretty much it for the transcript modification. See explanation on Chapter 1.

Stephanie

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 6

****

~Bridge~

Elizabeth was laughing when she climbed off the bike, she caught part of her pant leg on the taillight and hopped backwards trying to free it from the bike.

Jason watched her in amusement, "You okay?"

"Yeah," she grinned sheepishly, before pulling off the helmet and looking around. "I never knew this was here," she crossed over to the large cement barrier. "Where does it go?"

Jason followed her to the edge, "Over the gorge," he pointed out into the night. "I guess there used to be an estate out there. The bridge is all that's left."

She moved closer so she was leaning over the edge of the barrier and peered down, after a few feet the only thing she could see was an inky blackness. "How far down does it go?"

"Far, you can't see the water at night but you can hear it if you're quiet," he explained moving to stand beside her.

"Quiet," she repeated shooting him a look. "Am I supposed to take that to mean something?"

"No," he looked down at her and couldn't resist going on. "When I want quiet the last thing I do Elizabeth, is come and find you."

"Funny," she glared at him and shifted her hip to bump into him, but she would have had more luck trying to move the concrete. She had either forgotten or blocked out just how big he was. She glanced down at his hands when he looked out over the gorge, they were so much bigger than hers were. They weren't soft, she could feel the calluses on his hand when he touched her, but they were gentle. And she knew they were capable of the softest caress like when he touched her face the night before.

She tore her gaze from his hands and looked out into the night. It was better that she forget about last night and what she thought almost happened between them. If she thought about it too much, or tried to analyze it, it might cause problems with their relationship, and she didn't want that. A small smile crossed her face when she heard the sounds of the water far below them. This really was a nice spot, she was glad he brought her here. "How did you find this place?"

"I found it by accident the first time, I was out riding and I followed the road, it dead ends not to far from here," he hadn't allowed himself to remember that time in his life, it had been to painful and he didn't like to look back. The only time he had felt free anything even close to being happy, back then, was when he was on his bike, and that had led him here, and to her. "There was a girl here crying."

She tilted her head to look up at him, "Who?"

"Robin," he half expected to feel the pain he used to feel when he spoke or thought about her, but he didn't. "I'd seen her once before at the hospital, but I didn't know her," he shrugged and looked around. "This is where we met, after that we came here a lot."

"Why did you bring me?" She could tell he was okay being here, and even okay talking about Robin. His voice didn't go all stiff, and his eyes weren't sad, the way they used to be when he spoke about her.

"You know it's away from everything. It's quiet, I thought I'd take you to the boxcar, but that would make you think of Lucky or me being shot. So this seemed better." This could also be a new place for memories of the two of them, the way her studio was. He also liked the fact that he knew Lucky had never been here with her, it made it more personal, between the two of them.

"Does it bother you to be here without her?" It seemed, like he had let the pain that Robin had caused him go, but she wanted to be sure, she didn't want him to hurt anymore.

He looked around and thought about it, he had expected to feel something, even if it was just a sense of awkwardness, for being here with Elizabeth instead of Robin, but he didn't. "You know this is the last place that I ever saw her after she told the truth about Michael. I thought I'd never come back. But when we turned up the road, I didn't see any point in avoiding it. Now I know it's just a bridge, whatever it used to mean is gone."

She considered what he said and was envious. "I wish I could do that. Just go to the boxcar and not have it mean anything." The few times she had been there since Lucky had returned, had made her head swim with memories. Memories of happier times, with Lucky, but also memories of that terrible day with Jason. "To go to Kelly's and not remember Lucky's arms around me when we danced." She frowned, again the memory had changed from Lucky holding her on that last night, too the time she had asked Jason to dance with her. She had been trying to recreate a memory that night with Jason, but it hadn't worked. Jason was too strong of a personality and too close of a friend, to pretend that he was someone else, or to be used as a substitute. Because he wasn't a substitute, he was a dream of the future. She inhaled sharply at that thought, was Sonny right, did she want more from Jason? More importantly did he want more from her?

"Are you okay?" He had watched her retreat inside herself, and lose her color all of a sudden.

"Emily told me you loved Robin more than your life and when it was over you just let go," she turned to face him, desperate for the answer. "Can you teach me? Because even though we promised each other forever, Lucky doesn't want me to love him anymore. So I need to learn how to let go of that promise I made to him."

He thought about her words, tonight she didn't say she loved Lucky but that she wanted to keep a promise. He wondered what that meant.

"When did you stop hurting over Robin? How long did it take?"

"I wasn't really keeping track," he frowned and thought about it. With everything that happened with Michael, Carly, Sonny, and even with her, Robin had gotten pushed to the background. "I had so many other things to think about. And when Robin left it was easier."

Elizabeth grimaced, "I see Lucky everyday." Even when she didn't want to see him, sometimes, he was still there. "He says he wants to be my friend, so I put on my fake perfect friend smile, and tell him that everything is fine with me."

She demonstrated the smile for him and he could see that it didn't reach her eyes. When she smiled and meant it, her eyes shone. He wondered why no one else, especially Lucky couldn't see that.

"I can't show how I really feel because Emily or Nikolas or somebody else with the best of intentions will tell me not to give up. That I'm right for loving Lucky, that he just needs time," she groaned and shook her head. "Time won't fix it, he doesn't love me. I just have to move on and accept it."

He could hear the frustration and doubt in her voice. "Yeah but you say that like you did something wrong. It's not your fault that Lucky changed his mind."

She turned so she was leaning against the barrier and facing him. "But why did he Jason? I mean that's the thing." And it was she just needed to know why. "You know why you and Robin broke up. You have a reason your feelings changed. If Lucky has a reason for not loving me anymore he won't say it. If he'd just give me some sort of explanation, maybe I could do what he wants and let go." She had to hang on until she knew why, there had to be a reason, something that happened that made him stop loving her. If not it meant that she just wasn't the type of person people could love for a long time. Her own parents were supposed to love her, but she rarely spoke to them and hadn't seen them in years, her brother and sister were the same way. 

The only people who had said they loved her and proved it by staying around were her Grandmother and Lucky. And now Lucky said he didn't love her anymore. She couldn't help but think that maybe she had done something that made him stop loving her. That he had finally realized that she was unworthy of his love. But maybe there was another reason she could point to for his change of heart. Maybe it had nothing to do with her. She just needed to know, if it was her fault that he stopped loving her. She pulled herself out of her thoughts when she realized Jason was talking, "What?"

"I said what does Lucky say besides he doesn't love you?"

"To be with Nikolas, to be happy," she rolled her eyes. "Don't ask me how he's convinced himself that Nikolas can make me happy."

"He shouldn't be jerking you around," he could see the pain in her eyes and hated to see it there.

"Yeah well he does and I keep letting him," she smiled bitterly. "That's the part I should be able to change, but I don't know why I can't."

"Maybe you're scared of what will happen if you don't love Lucky," he put his hand over hers on the barrier causing her to look at him. "You see I didn't know who I was if I didn't love Robin. I thought she'd leave and there would be this emptiness inside me forever." She turned her hand over and laced their fingers, to offer support, but made no move to interrupt. "I was wrong. It hurt, it hurt worse than anything for awhile, but it fades and you remember that there are other things to live for, other people," his eyes searched hers and his voice got softer. "You remember there's stuff that you want to do, things you want to feel, and eventually you just realize the pain is gone. At least that's how it happened for me." He reached out and brushed a strand of her hair off of her cheek, her skin felt as soft as it had been last night. "What do you like?"

There was that feeling again, a feeling she hadn't felt before in her life, until last night. It was both a longing and nervousness, and it seemed to happen whenever he touched her. "I don't understand?"

"What do you like?" he repeated. "Painting, ice cream, going fast…"

Her eyes lit, "Going fast." She interrupted him with a grin.

He answered her grin with one of his own, "Why? Why fast?"

"I don't know," she let go of his hand to gesture. "It makes me laugh, and I feel alive. It makes my heart pound." It was hard to explain the rush that being on the back of his bike gave her. It was more than adrenaline it was freedom.

"I used to fight."

"With whom?" She asked in surprise, other than those times with Nikolas, he seemed to be in control all the time.

"Oh anyone," he admitted. "I don't know."

Her eyes raked him over, "You don't strike me as the fight-picking type."

He didn't know if he had just been complimented or insulted so he let it go. "Well you know I'm not really," he shrugged. "But there must be something about me that irritates people."

"I can see that," she teased with a laugh.

He glared at her but she kept smiling. "Or maybe they just knew it was what I wanted, because I'd go to Jake's and I wouldn't even be paying attention, then some guy would insult one of the waitresses. I'd try to stop them, and all hell would break loose."

"So you want to go to Jake's and pick a fight?" Her eyes were practically glowing at the thought of it.

He tapped her shoulder, "You ever been in a bar fight?" He asked looking her over.

"Well I guess the first night that we met. Remember you got that creep away from me."

'Yeah." He nodded and shifted so he was directly in front of her.

"I wasn't very grateful," she admitted sheepishly.

"So what you want to dance with some jerk you don't know?"

"No," she shook her head and put her hands on her hips. "Listen you can pick the fight and I'll just be your back-up."

"Really?" He questioned, lightly shoving on her shoulder to test her balance. She frowned at him and took a step back. "First I need to know if you can handle yourself."

"Oh," this time when he shoved her she was prepared and kept her balance easily.

"How hard can you hit?"

She looked at her hand, she'd wondered the same thing earlier today when she thought she was going to fight with Carly. "I don't know I don't go around hitting people every day." She laughed, "this whole bar fighting thing is going to be kind of new to me."

"Alright," he held up his hands, palms out, about shoulder level. "Come on and try it."

"Are you serious?" her eyes went wide at the thought.

"Yeah go on," she made a half-hearted swing and he smirked. "You can do better than that."

"Well I don't want to hurt you," she countered with a laugh. She couldn't believe he was doing this. She was getting a boxing lesson, she would definitely be ready for Carly then. But she probably shouldn't mention who she hoped to try her newfound technique out on.

"Well if you can't hurt me, then it's not a great idea that we go bar fighting at Jake's," he held up his hands again. "So you need to show me that you can fend for yourself."

"Okay," Elizabeth made a fist and swung harder, this time when her hand hit his palm, it made a smack sound.

"Go ahead, better," he nodded his approval. "Now other hand."

She made a face and swung harder, "Ouch." The impact sent shockwaves up her arm, but barely even moved his hand. God that was frustrating.

"There you go other hand now," he could see the frustration on her face, but he could also see how alive her eyes looked. She had a lot of anger and tension in her that was dying for release. He decided to push her a little harder. "I want you to hit harder, get mad."

She paused and looked at him instead of his hands. "You don't want to see me mad."

"No I do want to see you mad," she needed to let it out, and he wanted to help her.

"Oh no you don't," she warned him. No one liked to see her mad, she'd spent the last few years burying her temper, because no one wanted to see her mad. And here he was telling her to let go. How did she know that if she did let go, she would ever be able to hide it again?

He could see her fighting with herself, trying to bottle back the emotion. "Come on," he taunted, "hit me."

She swung harder and connected with his right hand and then pulled back and aimed for his left, he moved suddenly and she missed his hand, and on her follow through she ended up, turned around with her back against his chest. Her off balanced weight was being supported by him, and his hand on her waist. Her shirt had ridden up so his hand was partially on her bare skin, it felt like he was branding her. "Oh," she managed finally, feeling out of breath for a minute and the reason had nothing to do with the boxing lesson.

"See." His voice was next to her ear, causing her to shiver in reaction. "Now you got to keep moving, otherwise you're to easy to catch."

She tilted her head slightly to look at his profile, her hand had dropped to cover his on her waist. What if she wanted to be caught? She continued to look into his face, making no effort to move out of his arms.

He had only meant to give her a tip about standing in one place, he didn't realize how she would feel against him. How the muscles in her stomach seemed to tense under his fingers. How her eyes, which had been alive with anger and determination, would suddenly turn dark and mysterious. He lowered his head slowly, moving closer to hers. His eyes were locked on hers the whole time.

An old farm truck went past them on the road and tooted his horn, startling them both, and the moment was shattered.

"Okay I'll keep moving," Elizabeth quickly stepped away from him.

"Okay," Jason said slowly watching her jerky movements. She didn't want to talk about what almost happened, he sighed and let it go. "So do you want to rest or do you want to try again?"

"What do you think?" She asked the same time she swung.

He jerked back so she missed by several inches.

"I almost got you," she cried moving her feet like he told her too.

"Not even close," he countered her movements and held up his hands. They dropped back into their normal teasing routine easily enough, "other hand now, alternate."

"Yeah," the swings packed a little more power now. For a minute there she had thought he was going to kiss her, and she couldn't help but feel both disappointed and frustrated that she'd been wrong again.

****

~Port Charles Hotel~

V knocked on the door for the third time and still got no response, she hesitated and then used her key to let herself inside. "Jax are you here?" she moved over to the stairs that led up a level to the bedroom, but there was no response.

She crossed back to the couch and sat down tiredly. The last week in Alaska with Jax's parents had taken a lot out of her. It wasn't that she didn't like them, because she did, it was just she had felt like she was under a microscope the whole time and she didn't like that.

Maybe it would have been easier for her if she hadn't known how much they had loved his former fiancée Chloe Morgan. They hadn't known that their relationship had been a sham, they had thought they were getting a new daughter in law. Since Chloe and Jax had dated years ago before Brenda, that had known her and approved of her for a very long time. She frowned if Jax had told them he was bringing her and not Chloe to Alaska, they would have been prepared, and maybe they wouldn't have shown their disappointment so keenly when she walked through the door instead of Chloe. But Jax had wanted to surprise them. Well they had been surprised all right.

She rubbed at her temples, the headache that she'd had for the last week was making itself known again. She wished she'd told Jax no when he'd invited her to Alaska. They were still so new, it was far too soon, to be meeting the parents. But it was hard for her to say no to him. Running into Chloe today hadn't helped. Talk about having your biggest insecurities on display. Chloe was blonde, beautiful, smart, charming, classy, wealthy, and petite, while she most definitely was not.

"Those look like too heavy of thoughts to be having on such a beautiful night," Jax's voice came from behind her.

She kept her eyes closed and let him take over for her and rub her temples, "Is it night? Time seems to blend."

"Long day?" Jax moved to sit beside her, mimicking her pose by resting his feet on the coffee table.

"Not really, I'm just not used to having so much free time," she rested her head on his shoulder. When it was like this, just the two of them, she felt strong about being a couple. It was when she was alone, or they were in public that the doubts seemed to assail her. He hadn't picked up on it yet and for that she was grateful. She was a trained police officer, used to dangerous situations, so how was she supposed to admit that formal dinners and 5'5" blondes with perfect manners terrified her?

"You know you can always come back and work for me. You were the best personal assistant I ever had." He knew something was bothering her, he just hadn't broken through all her walls yet to find out what it was.

"No, if I'm dating you, I'm not working for you." On that she was firm.

"What about L&B? You know Ned would love to have you back. He hated the fact that you quit in the first place."

"Well it would have been kind of hard to work for L&B while I was living in the Riveria, besides between Elizabeth and Nikolas I've been replaced."

Jax lost his smile at her words, he hated remembering how she had almost left him to go with Simon. What galled him was the fact he had introduced them, when he was trying to get his money back. He never thought Simon would spend months pursuing her, and follow her across the continent until he finally wore her down enough that she agreed to leave with him. He had been so sure that Simon had only pursued her because he thought she was with him. But even after he knew she wasn't, that Jax was in fact engaged to Chloe, he kept after her. It had been a huge wake-up call for him, when she announced she was leaving town with Simon.

"What are you thinking that has you frowning so?" V asked getting his attention again.

He brought her hand up to his lips, "I was just thinking what would have happened if I couldn't stop your plane, and you had left."

"Well since you blocked the runway with your plane, it was a pretty safe bet that I wasn't going anywhere." She tried to joke off the most romantic thing that had ever happened to her, but she couldn't stop the thrill the memory caused her.

"I needed to get your attention, I couldn't have you leaving now could I?"

"I guess not."

"So what are you going to do?" Jax asked, he knew she wouldn't be happy unless she was working.

V glanced at her bag and the application and notebook that she knew was in there. She had a feeling that he wouldn't like what she was thinking about doing. He had said earlier that it was a beautiful night, so she didn't want to ruin it by arguing. She tilted her head and began to nuzzle his neck, "I'm going to do lots of things to you, Mr. Jacks."

"What did I tell you about calling me Mr. Jacks?" He moved so she was pressed under him on the couch. He had never realized how playful she was.

"I believe you said something like you were going to throttle me the next time I did so," she replied her fingers working on the buttons of his shirt. "But before you do I have a last request."

"That seems fair," his hand traced its way up her long leg.

"Good," she grinned wickedly and whispered in his ear, before nipping on his earlobe.

"Why Venus is that any way for a Goddess to talk?" He asked, before kissing her, he was willing to give it a shot.

****

~Bridge~

"Come on left hand," Jason said. "Keep moving, now the right."

Elizabeth swung again connecting with his palm, "Ow." She stopped moving and began to shake out her hands.

"So how does it feel?"

"Like my arms are going to fall off," she admitted with a small laugh.

He nodded, "Yes fighting is different," he jerked his head to the bike. "So you ready to go to Jake's?"

"No," she backed away to lean against the barrier. "I'm fine right here, my heart is going 100 miles an hour."

He moved over beside her, "It worked then." All the tension she'd had in her was gone, he could see that in her eyes.

"What? Do you think I should go pick a fight at Jake's everytime Lucky hurts me?"

"No," his voice was serious. "I just think you should do what you have too, to remember that you're alive."

She thought about that for a minute and then looked at him with a smile. "I think I'll leave the motorcycles and boxing lessons for when I'm with you and I'll just paint the rest of the time."

In that case she would never be in a fight and for that he was glad. He'd take her for a ride whenever she wanted, whether she was hurt or not. "That's good, that you get a rush from your art."

"Well it's even more fun when it actually works," she grimaced. "I tried painting the Nurse's Ball this year, kind of like _The Wind_. It didn't work though, I couldn't capture that intensity." She paused and debated a minute before going on, "I saw Robin at the Ball."

"I didn't know."

"She talked about living with H.I.V. and how things were for her in Paris," she bit her lip then asked the question she didn't know if she wanted to know the answer too. "You didn't go to Paris did you?"

"No," the thought never even crossed his mind. He wasn't angry with Robin anymore, but he didn't have any desire to see her either. "I'm glad she's happy though."

"Yeah," she was relieved that he hadn't gone to see her and the jealousy that thought aroused in her dissipated. Uneasy when she realized she had been jealous of Robin she changed the subject. "You know Emily really missed you that night, she said she wished you were here."

Since she brought the subject up he decided it was time to press her. "Is this about whatever you were trying to tell me last night on the pier?" She refused to meet his eyes and he knew he was right. "What happened to Emily?"

"It's nothing to do with the Nurse's Ball." She told him truthfully.

"Lucky told you not to tell me," he shook his head, disappointed that she still wasn't going to tell him.

She saw the flash of hurt in his eyes before he hid it. "God Jason it's complicated." She touched his arm hoping he would understand, and yet at the same time hoping he would push her for the truth. Because they really could use his help.

"Elizabeth, it's not for me." He took her hand, "My sister is hurting, something happened to her. She wanted to tell me, but Lucky stopped her." He searched her eyes, "You wanted to tell me too, I saw that."

She couldn't lie to him, not when he was looking at her like that, and was touching her. "Emily and I think you could help. But Lucky had some good reasons to keep it a secret and we all agreed."

He let go of her hand and started to rub at the back of his neck, he was starting to get real tired of Lucky. "Did whatever this is, happen to Emily or Lucky?"

"To all of us, its kind of ever-expanding," she admitted quietly. "Jason I told you if it was up to me, I would tell you, but its not."

"But the problem is getting worse Elizabeth. How bad are you going to let it get before you let me help?" He followed her when she turned to look over the gorge. "I don't care what happened. All I want is to fix it for Emily," he turned her so she faced him, "for you. If Lucky can handle things that's fine, but I can see that you're having doubts, so that worries me."

"I promised Emily, Jason you know I don't like to break my promises."

She didn't want to break her word to Emily, not Lucky, he sighed heavily and looked down at their joined hands. He didn't even remember taking her hand, or had she taken his? "If somehow this gets out of hand, if something goes wrong and you and Emily are going to get hurt, I want you to promise me that you'll call me, okay? Whatever this is I can take care of it no questions asked."

"I promise," that would be one promise she would keep above all the others.

"Thank you," it was the most he could hope for right now. He'd talk to Emily in the morning, maybe she would tell him.

"I think I should be thanking you," she kept a hold of his hand and leaned against the barrier again.

"So you want to head back?" he asked after a minute. He wasn't ready to leave, but he wouldn't mind going for another ride.

"No," she said immediately. "Although I probably should, I could stay out here with you forever. In fact why don't we?" She turned towards him only half joking.

"We could do that," he agreed. "But I seem to remember that you like to eat."

She swatted his arm. "Don't you know you're not supposed to comment on how much a woman eats? Jeez Jason you really should know better. And you better be nice, or the next time you're in Kelly's all you'll get is sou…" She trailed off her eyes going wide.

"What?"

"Oh my God, I was supposed to close tonight, and I ran out of my shift." She took a step away only to jerk to a halt when he didn't move, and her arm went tight, she tugged on his hand. "Come on, Tammy had a date tonight, if she didn't find someone she'll be stuck. I swear if I were her, I would fire me."

"No you wouldn't," he moved with her this time over to his bike and handed her the helmet.

"So you think I can steer?" she pulled on the helmet and tightened the chinstrap.

"No," he kept his answer short, figuring she wouldn't have a way to argue then, he was wrong.

"What if I told you it made me feel alive?"

"I'd tell you to get your own motorcycle."

"Oh come on you'd miss me too much if I did that, besides your acting like I did a really bad job last time," she put her hand on her hip and glared at him. "I think I'm insulted."

He avoided the glare by getting on the bike, "We almost crashed last time, didn't we?"

"Please," she waved the remark off with her hand and changed tactics. "You know I just need some practice, come on you'll be right here, holding onto me, I won't have a chance to mess up," she placed a hand on his thigh, "please."

****

~Harborview~

"Hold the elevator," Alexis called racing for the doors. She wished she hadn't hurried when she saw who was inside.

"I thought lawyers were ambulance chasers not elevator chasers," Carly said snidely.

"I'm talented," Alexis said sweetly. "Hi Pete."

"Ms. Davis," Pete nodded his head at her. Among the guards she was one of the favorite people that associated with Mr. Corinthos. She knew everyone's name, and always called him by it. She never treated them like they were beneath her, just because they were guards, unlike some people.

"You do know that peach is not your color don't you Alexis?" Carly taunted she was still wired from her run-in with Elizabeth and the follow-up tongue-lashing she had received from her mother.

Alexis turned around and studied the blonde, "At least I don't wear ketchup I eat it."

Carly glanced down and saw a smear on her shirtsleeve. "Damn'it this is silk."

Alexis got off the elevator and headed for her door. "Carly you might be able to afford silk now, thanks to your talent with men but, you really should learn how to take care of it. You never know how long it will be before you can afford another blouse." There was something about Carly that set her teeth on edge, and brought out the cattiness in her.

"What the hell do you mean by my talent with men?" Carly demanded.

"You forget I know everything about you, including the fact that you haven't worked since you were six months pregnant. You've relied on Tony, Jason, A.J., and now Sonny to support you."

"I don't think I like what you are insinuating," Carly moved closer.

"Then I must not be doing it correctly because there should be no doubt, you shouldn't like it. You know what they say the truth hurts." Alexis' frustration over not being able to find a loophole to help Sonny had reached a boiling point. So when faced with the reason for his trouble, Carly, she found herself insulting the woman on a level she normally reserved for Helena.

Johnny's eyes widened at Alexis' remark and he knocked discreetly on the door to alert Sonny. It wasn't that he minded bloodshed but he wanted to make sure the right woman was bleeding when it was all said and done.

"Are you calling me a whore?" Carly shrieked.

"I wasn't going to use that name, it's so declasse but if that's the word you prefer, I'll go with it."

Carly started to charge, when she was jerked to a halt by an arm around her waist. "Stop it Carly. What the hell are you doing?" Sonny demanded of her, "Are you alright Alexis?"

"Is she alright?" Carly jerked out of his hold and turned on him. "She's the one who called me a whore and you want to know if she's alright?"

"Actually you called yourself a whore, I was merely pointing out a few facts." Alexis corrected causing Johnny and Pete to grin.

"You skanky ass little bit…"

"Enough Carly," Sonny interrupted her. "Get inside."

"I'm not a dog Sonny I don't follow your orders. Why the hell are you defending her?" Tears sprung to her eyes, "she attacked me."

"Go inside Carly," he repeated tiredly, nodding at Johnny to open the door.

"Fine but this isn't over." Carly warned them both before entering the penthouse and slamming the door hard enough that it moved Johnny back a step.

Alexis rubbed at the bridge of her nose. "In all honesty I might have started this little skirmish. I let her get to me, normally I don't."

"Carly can get to anyone if she has enough time, believe me."

Alexis opened her door and gestured for him to come closer. "I heard from Dara Jensen," she lowered her voice so the guards didn't hear. "Carly's deposition will be in two weeks."

"I thought we had two months."

"Dara fast-tracked it. I tried to stall, the most I was able to do was delay for two weeks, that doesn't give me a lot of time to figure a way out of this for you."

"Do your best," Sonny told her taking her hand. "It's always been good enough before."

She looked down at their hands then back into his warm dark eyes, his faith in her was reassuring but also troublesome. She didn't want to let him down or give him false hope, "Son…"

He placed a finger over her lips to stop the words, he could see the doubt in her eyes, but he didn't want to hear it expressed out loud.

Alexis froze at his touch, he was a mixture of scents, his cologne, along with oregano or basil, and coffee. It shouldn't have worked but on him it did. Her stomach twisted into knots the longer he looked at her.

He wanted to kiss her. It didn't matter that they were standing in her doorway with two of his guards only a few feet away. It didn't matter that Carly was in his penthouse no doubt destroying it in a temper tantrum. It didn't matter that she had a ring on her finger that said she belonged to another man. The only thing that mattered to him was the need to kiss her. He didn't know if it was wishful thinking or not, but in this instant he could swear he could see the same need reflected in her eyes.

Before he could move, her phone began to ring and she pulled away from him.

"I-I need to get this, it's probably…probably," she stammered.

"Ned," Sonny finished for her.

"Yes, Ned he's supposed to call, so I'm sure that him calling like he's supposed to. I really need to talk to him too, so I'll have to talk to you about the case some other time because I really need to answer the phone." Why couldn't she stop talking?

"Alexis take a breath and answer the phone." Sonny interrupted her before shutting the door in disappointment.

He leaned against the door for another minute before he headed for his own door, "Pete what are you still doing here?"

Enjoying the show, Pete wisely buried that thought and got to the point. "You wanted to know if Ms. Benson went around certain people."

Sonny rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Who did she go see?"

"Elizabeth Webber, in fact they almost got into a fight in the middle of Kelly's."

"Thanks Pete," Sonny dismissed him with a shake of his head. The question of what to do with Carly was becoming more tiresome everyday. He stood in front of the door for another minute bracing himself for the fight he knew was coming. "Shut up Johnny," he said finally and opened the door.

"I didn't say a word Boss," Johnny answered the laughter evident in his voice.

Sonny spared him a glare before entering the penthouse.

Johnny waited until he closed the door, before he let his grin show. His boss had his hands full with both the women who lived on this floor.

****

~Kelly's~

"Admit it you had fun," Elizabeth tugged on his hand, when he didn't respond. "Admit it."

"You know that bike is way too big for you," Jason kept his expression stern.

"How would you know?" She scoffed. "You never even took your hands away, basically all I did was sit in front of you with your arms around me for a change."

He came to a stop by one of the tables in front of the door. "If I didn't brace you, you'd have to control my weight, plus the bikes, plus the force of the wind."

"What about my weight?" She demanded.

He couldn't resist, her face was the picture of outrage, he reached out and placed his hands on her hips, as if testing her weight. "That's my point you're not strong enough to control the bike on your own."

"Oh Emily says you never lie," his hands were still on her hips but she didn't mind.

"Not often," he admitted moving closer.

"Yeah well I think you're lying tonight. I think you like being the one who decides where we go," she felt the exhilaration she normally felt after a ride, but she felt something else too. Something more powerful than that, and somehow she knew it was in direct reaction to Jason and the fact he had his hands on her. She knew that she should move away, that they were just friends, that he probably had no idea that she had suddenly developed a crush on him, but with her adrenaline pumping she didn't feel like backing off.

"I offered to take you anyplace you wanted and you said nowhere."

"Yeah but we did go somewhere," she rested her hands on his arms and searched his face. "I had the greatest time, I would have gone crazy had I not found you in that alley."

"I'm glad I was there," his hands seemed to have a mind of their own and they moved so they spanned her back.

"I'm so glad you're home," she moved then and wrapped her arms around his neck, rising up to kiss his cheek.

His arms tightened around her immediately he bent slightly so her head was even with his, he couldn't stop himself from pressing his face into her hair.

She drew back slightly and her eyes locked on his, his mouth was just a few inches away, giving into temptation she shifted again and pressed her lips to his.


	7. Slip, sliding away

****

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 7

****

~Kelly's~

Jason was stunned when he felt her lips on his, but that lasted only for a second, she began to pull away and he responded quickly. He brought his hand up to cup the back of her head to keep her lips on his. Her lips were softer than any he had ever felt, and a little timid, she sighed and tilted her head, opening her mouth slightly. He used the opportunity to deepen the kiss.

She was kissing Jason and for once it wasn't a dream. Feeling his mouth move on hers, she realized that no dream she'd ever had even came close to the reality. She heard a moan and wasn't sure who let it out. She felt his tongue whisper past her lips and her arms tightened around his neck in response, as she opened for him.

"Elizabeth."

Her name came from behind her but it was easy to ignore, easy to keep on kissing Jason.

"Elizabeth!"

Her name was repeated and she felt Jason tense and draw away from her. She realized then that she should recognize the voice, but for the life of her she had no idea, who was speaking, she only knew they had lousy timing.

Jason broke the kiss reluctantly and looked over her shoulder at Lucky who had just walked out of Kelly's and was staring at them with a look of shock.

Coming out of a daze, Elizabeth stepped back abruptly and turned around, "Lucky?"

"What the hell are you doing Elizabeth? You don't belong with him," Lucky snapped. The shock he'd originally felt when he looked outside and saw them kissing had turned into anger. It was a deep anger, one that he hadn't felt before. Even as angry as he had been with his father paled in comparison to this, and that unsettled him.

"Lucky," Elizabeth spoke again, finally realizing who was standing there glaring at her. "Why are you wearing an apron?" It was the only coherent thought in her head. Too much of her brain was reliving the kiss Jason had just given her, or was it the kiss she gave him? After all she had initiated it.

"What?" Lucky demanded looking at her in shock, shock quickly turned to anger. "You don't belong with him," he turned on Jason. "You stay the hell away from Elizabeth."

"You know what? It's not up to you who I stand next to, or talk too," she retorted starting to get upset herself.

"Oh were you standing? Because from where I was, it looked like you two were kissing."

"I don't think this is any of your business," she wasn't ready to deal with the implications of the kiss yet.

"Not my business?" he repeated. "Everything about you is my business," he stepped closer to her. "Why don't you tell me again what happened when you two lived together."

Jason had been willing to let Elizabeth handle this but he didn't like the anger that was on Lucky's face, or the way he kept crowding her. He moved closer, "You need to back off Lucky."

"You don't tell me what to do," he yelled at Jason. "I'm not Emily, I don't buy your crap that you're better or wiser than humanity," he stepped closer to Jason. "So why don't you just admit that you are after Elizabeth."

It was getting harder and harder to recognize the kid he once knew in the angry person in front of him. "She's my friend, I thought you were too."

Lucky scoffed at that remark, "I don't want to be friends. In fact I don't want you around, so leave."

Elizabeth didn't like what she was seeing or hearing. She had never heard Lucky talk like this, and to Jason of all people. Her eyes moved from Lucky's angry face, to Jason's calm one and she instinctively shifted closer to Jason.

"That's not up to you to decide." Jason had been in enough situations that he knew Lucky was close to losing control. He remembered the boy who used to rent a room from him and tried again. "You know, whatever you're going through I didn't do it. Elizabeth didn't do it, so you shouldn't blame us for it."

"Us?" Lucky was finding it harder and harder to breathe. He had never been this angry before and it was focused primarily on the man in front of him. "You don't get to defend her."

"I will always defend her," Jason warned him. "I'm trying to respect you Lucky, but you're not making any sense."

"Screw you," Lucky screamed charging him.

"Lucky," Elizabeth yelled in shock.

Jason blocked his charge easily enough and shoved him back several feet. "That's enough," he wasn't going to play around with Lucky anymore. Lucky had changed and obviously not for the better, he stopped thinking of him as a boy he once knew and instead thought of him as a guy he had no desire to know.

"What are you doing?" Elizabeth demanded stepping in between them, focusing her anger on Lucky.

"What am I doing? You kissed him Elizabeth. What the hell are you doing?"

"I told you what I do with Jason is none of your business," she snapped, then grabbed a table to keep her balance when Lucky charged past her and after Jason again.

"That's enough," Jason grabbed Lucky's arm and twisted it around his back, immobilizing him. "Lucky I don't know where this is coming from, but you don't want any trouble."

Lucky jerked erratically trying to free his arm, but Jason merely increased the pressure, keeping his arm in place and Lucky off-balanced.

"Jason let him go," Elizabeth put a hand on his back.

"Are you sure?" he turned his head to look at her.

"Yes, Lucky won't do anything else stupid. Will you Lucky?" she asked moving closer.

"Whatever," Lucky snapped.

Jason let him go and took a cautious step back, eyeing Lucky warily when he turned around to glare at them again.

"I think you owe Jason an apology Lucky," she crossed her arms over her chest and waited.

"For what?" Lucky snorted refusing to rub at his sore shoulder, not wanting to give Jason the satisfaction of knowing how much it hurt.

"For attacking Jason like that. He's always been your friend, my god he gave you a job, a place to stay, why did you go off on him like that?"

Lucky shook his head stubbornly. "He's after you Elizabeth, and you belong to me, so he needs to back off."

Elizabeth took a step back in confusion at the words. Now he was saying she belonged to him, she wearily shook her head, he was making no sense as usual.

Jason frowned at the words. It sounded like Lucky was staking ownership of her, like the Quartermaine's tried to do with Michael. He didn't like it, he glanced at her face, and saw the confusion in her eyes when she shook her head. Lucky was playing with her head again. "Look if you have a problem with me, that's fine, deal with me. Don't take it out on Elizabeth, she's my friend, I'm not going to let you hurt her."

"You don't get it Jason, things change," Lucky shot back cockily. "She might have thought you were a friend, when I was away, but I'm back now and she knows better. I won't let you use her again."

"Lucky you don't speak for me," Elizabeth interrupted. "Jason will always be my friend, whether you will be, remains to be seen." She turned to Jason and gave him a quick hug. "Thanks again for tonight, I'm sorry about this."

"It's not your fault." He wanted to say more, but wouldn't, not with Lucky here.

"I'll call you tomorrow," she let her hands drop and turned around to face Lucky. "You need to think about what just happened here. Until you are ready to apologize to me and to Jason I don't want to see you." With that she walked past him into Kelly's pausing only to flip the sign from open to closed, lock the door, and pull down the shade, leaving the two men alone in the courtyard.

"Elizabeth," Lucky called after her moving towards the door in shock. What was she doing locking him out like that? He pushed on the door but it refused to budge, "Elizabeth."

"She doesn't want to talk to you Lucky," Jason watched him pound on the door again. "Lucky go home."

"What and leave her here with you?" Lucky turned around to glare at him. "You'd like that wouldn't you? That way she'd be easy pickings for you. But that isn't going to happen."

Jason pinched his nose in frustration. "Are you even listening to yourself? Because you are making absolutely no sense."

"I'm not going anywhere Jason, Elizabeth belongs with me not you."

"I thought she belonged with Nikolas," Jason countered. "Isn't that what you tell her everytime you see her?"

Lucky frowned at that, that is what he meant wasn't it? He shook the doubt away. "She doesn't belong with you, and that's what matters. So you stay the hell away from her."

"Lucky, only Elizabeth can tell me to stay away and she's not doing that."

"So you're admitting it. You do want her," Lucky cried.

Jason just shook his head, he wasn't about to explain his actions to some hot-tempered kid. "Lucky you need some help."

Lucky jerked back a step, he didn't need help, he was in control. His hands began to shake and he quickly shoved them in his pockets. "Just stay away from her," he warned him again, then threw the apron on a table and left the courtyard.

Jason was heading for the door, to talk to Elizabeth again when his cell rang. "Morgan," he frowned and glanced at his watch. "Now? Okay I'm on my way." He glanced at the closed door for a minute longer then headed for his bike, he would have to talk too Elizabeth tomorrow.

****

~Inside~

Elizabeth pulled the shade slightly to the side and sighed in relief when she saw the empty courtyard. She sat wearily at a table, what had just happened? She had kissed Jason, Lucky said she belonged to him, she had kissed Jason, Lucky attacked Jason, she had kissed Jason.

"Enough," she stood up and put the last two chairs on the table. She couldn't think about what had just happened right now, if she did she would go insane. She grabbed her purse from behind the counter, turned off the lights, locked the door and headed for home. She wasn't going to think about what just happened until tomorrow.

Elizabeth was replaying the kiss she wasn't supposed to be thinking about in her head, when she gradually became aware of footsteps behind her. She paused to listen and the footsteps stopped as well. Frowning at the dark all around her, she regretted that she had decided to take the shortcut through the docks, instead of walking on the well-lighted streets.

She picked up her pace and hurried towards the sign for Bannister's Wharf. She was almost home. A horrifying thought crossed her mind and slowed her steps, whoever was following her would know where she lived.

She looked to the right and saw the open bay door of the Corinthos-Morgan warehouse. A lot of people were visible through the door, unloading a shipment. She veered towards the warehouse and the people there. She had only taken a step when a hand fell on her arm stopping her in her tracks.

****

~Quartermaine's~

Lucky climbed the tree and tapped on Emily's window. He saw her frown at the window before setting aside a notebook she was writing in and crossing over to him.

"Lucky," she quickly opened the window when she recognized him. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't know, I just couldn't go home." Lucky glanced around the room but really didn't see anything. His mind was still trying to process what had happened with Jason and Elizabeth.

Emily could see the anger in his face and braced herself. "What happened?"

"Your brother happened," Lucky sniped angrily.

"What do you mean?" she sat on the bed and watched him pace.

"Jason happened, he has Elizabeth so confused, he's messing with her head."

"That doesn't sound like something Jason would do," she spoke quietly. "In fact I know he wouldn't do that."

"You don't know your brother Em, because that is what he is doing. He wants Elizabeth and he's messing with her head in order to get her." Lucky paused by her dresser and picked up one of the glass figurines that she had there. "She even sent me away tonight because of him."

"Lucky why don't you start at the beginning? Because I got to tell you, you're not making any sense here."

"Why does everyone keep telling me that?" Lucky demanded raising his voice. He saw her eyes go wide and flick to her door, and quickly lowered his voice. "Tammy made me work so I was closing up when I heard someone in the courtyard. I looked outside and saw Elizabeth and Jason," his hand tightened convulsively on the fragile figurine. "He was kissing her."

"What?" she sat back in surprise. "Are you sure?"

"Yes I know what a kiss looks like. Kissing as in mouth to mouth, as in he had his hands all over her, holding her against him," Lucky snapped.

"Well where were her hands?"

Around his neck, holding him back, at that memory he snapped the figurine in his hand in two. "That doesn't matter, he was mauling her."

"It does matter," Emily shot to her feet ready to defend her brother. "Since you don't want to answer me, I would say she had her arms around him, therefore she must have wanted him to kiss her. Because he wouldn't maul her."

"Emily whose side are you on here?" Lucky turned on her. "Didn't you hear me? He was kissing Elizabeth. My Elizabeth."

"And she was kissing him back wasn't she?" Emily demanded moving closer. "Wasn't she?"

"Yes," he admitted reluctantly. "But that doesn't matter he has no right to kiss her, she's mine."

"Wrong Lucky she belongs to no one. You have been telling her for months that it's over between the two of you. She finally heard you and moved on." She didn't know how she felt about the fact Elizabeth seemed to be moving on with her brother.

"I thought you understood Emily. You know why I've been pushing her away, you know I don't mean too. What? Because she's kissing your brother you don't care about us getting back together anymore?"

Emily shifted guiltily on her feet. "I didn't say that."

"God Em, you have been our biggest supporter and now you think its great that Elizabeth has moved on," he dropped the broken figurine to the floor and headed for the window. "I thought you were my best friend."

"Wait Lucky I am your friend," she followed him to the window feeling guilty. "It's just…it's different now that my brother is involved."

"Well I guess I know where I stand then," he started to crawl out of the window.

"Lucky stop it. I have been telling you for weeks to talk to Elizabeth. But you refused too," she yanked on his arm and pulled him back in the room. "Don't blame me because when you finally do decide to talk to her she doesn't want to hear you."

Lucky slumped wearily on the window seat, "I told her she didn't belong with Jason, that she belonged with me."

She sat down beside him. "What did she say to that?" At one time she knew Elizabeth would have been thrilled to hear those words, but now she wasn't so sure. She had been thinking about Elizabeth tonight, replaying in her mind all the little conversations she'd had with her, especially the ones in the last few weeks. She finally realized that Elizabeth had been trying to tell her for weeks that she was giving up on Lucky, but she hadn't wanted to hear her.

"She told me that what went on between her and Jason was none of my business. Then she told me she didn't want to see me again until I apologized."

"Apologized for what?"

"I sort of attacked Jason," he admitted sheepishly, waiting for her angry reaction, he wasn't disappointed.

"What? Lucky what were you thinking?" She shoved at his shoulder. "Forget it, you obviously weren't thinking."

"I couldn't help it. He made me so mad, they both did," he frowned at her. "I was so close to losing control Em, it scared me."

"It's okay we'll figure it out," she hugged him trying to offer some comfort.

"I can't lose her Emily," his words were muffled by her shoulder. "I think I would die if I lost her."

Emily frowned at his words, he sounded like he meant them. She needed to talk to Jason and Elizabeth and find out what exactly was going on between them. She patted Lucky on the back, and she needed to do it soon.

****

~Docks~

Elizabeth screamed and flailed out with her purse when she was jerked around.

Immediately the hand on her arm was dropped and her attacker raised his hands in surrender and backed away. "Take it easy Elizabeth."

She put a hand over her racing heart. "Jesus Zander you scared me."

"I'm sorry, I thought you heard me call your name," Zander touched her arm lightly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"No I didn't hear you, I must have been lost in thought," she took a step back breaking the contact.

He frowned at her actions but said nothing. "I wanted to see how you were. You were pretty out of it at the rave the other week. I was actually heading to that diner you said you worked at when I saw you."

Now her heart was racing for another reason. Realization was setting in that she was alone on the docks with a man who had drugged her, and killed a cop. "I'm fine," she was relieved her voice was only a little shaky.

"Good. I was sorry you left the rave with that guy. What was his name, Lucky?"

"Yeah."

"He's your boyfriend right?" He hoped not he had enjoyed talking to her, and was sorry that he had drugged her.

"Not anymore," she answered without thinking.

He smiled at that. "Good."

Elizabeth swallowed hard, this was not good, he seemed to really be interested in her. It was hard enough to pretend she liked him, when she knew Nikolas and Lucky were around, but out here alone, it was even harder.

"I was looking for you for another reason as well," he stepped closer. "There's another rave Friday night, I was hoping you would come."

"I don't know, after what happened last time," she forced herself to smile. He was giving him the information they needed, all she had to do was play along. "Are you going to be there?"

"Definitely. I was hoping you would be there too," he smiled his best smile hoping to charm her. "I can promise you that nothing will happen to you this time."

It was strange but she almost believed him. "Then I'll be there. Where is it?"

He dug in his pocket and wrote the address on a scrap of paper. "We're keeping this one quieter than the last one so it doesn't get raided." She reached out to take the paper from him and his hand closed over hers. "I'm glad you'll be there Elizabeth, I've been wanting to get to know you better."

She refused the temptation to pull her arm free and instead smiled at him again. "That's nice to hear Zander, maybe it is time to get back into the dating scene. Although I am going to take it slow."

"You should you're less likely to be hurt that way. Speaking of which," he glanced around the dark dock. "I better walk you home. You have no business being alone around here at this time of night."

"That's okay my place is real close by." The last thing she wanted was for him to know where she lived. It was bad enough he knew where she worked.

"I insist Elizabeth, I don't want anything to happen to you," he took her arm in a proprietary manner and began heading back down the dock, away from the warehouse. "So where do you live?"

"Over there," she gestured vaguely in the direction of her building. She kept the pace slow, trying desperately to think of a way out of this. She needed him to think she was interested in him. So he might get suspicious if she ran screaming away from him when he was trying to be nice.

"It's a gorgeous night, look at that moon. It's the Lover's Moon," he looked at the sky then glanced at her.

"Mmm," she answered non-committedly. Someone heading for the stairs by Bannister's Wharf caught her attention. "Johnny," she yelled in recognition. "Excuse me," she pulled free of Zander and ran for Johnny.

Johnny frowned at her fast approach, his eyes going to the man following her, "Miss Webber are you…"

"Call me Elizabeth and play along with whatever I say," she hissed cutting him off, keeping an ear pealed for Zander's approach.

"Johnny," she pitched her voice so it would carry around the dock. "It must be fate running into you like this."

Johnny frowned then smiled brightly causing her to blink in surprise. "You too Elizabeth."

Elizabeth kept her hand on his arm then turned to face an out of breath Zander. "Sorry but I had to catch Johnny. I've been playing phone tag with him for days now. I think you were it." She turned to him smiling a tad too widely.

"You must not have checked your voice mail then because I phoned you back." He could feel the uneasiness and a trace of fear coming off of her. He focused on the man with her, and made a mental impression of him. He knew Jason and more than likely Sonny would want to know every detail about him.

"Well since I've got you now, I'm not going to let you go until I'm finished with you."

"Elizabeth I thought we were going to talk," Zander jerked his head. "Alone."

Her hand tightened on Johnny's arm. "It will have to be right now Elizabeth," her hold caused him to speak. "I'm tied up in meetings the rest of the week."

"Sorry Zander, I have a portrait that I did for Johnny ready, and I need to talk to him about the next one." She tried to act disappointed, but she had a feeling she failed. "You understand a starving artist can't let a sale go by."

"How will you get home?"

"I'll see her home," Johnny said immediately.

"Okay, we'll finish this on Friday then," Zander locked eyes with her. "Right?"

"Right. I can't wait for Friday," Elizabeth smiled back.

"Sorry but we better go. I don't have a lot of time Elizabeth." Johnny interrupted their staring contest, he turned slightly to head for the other steps and her building. Her hand tugged at his arm trying to propel him in the other direction. He frowned until he figured out what she was doing. She wanted to take the long way to her building by going to Charles Street. He smoothly turned and they started walking to those steps that led to Charles Street.

"Bye Zander," Elizabeth called over her shoulder before preceding Johnny up the steps.

Johnny took one more look at Zander sizing him up and filing the information away for future reference, before following her up the stairs.

Zander frowned after them long after they disappeared from view. There was something a little bit off about Elizabeth. He had originally sought her out at the rave because he'd thought he had seen her talking with Gia. He had even drugged her in an attempt to get some information out of her. But she had left before he could get very much out of her.

He had finally decided that he was probably reading too much into it. Instead he remembered how fun she was to talk too, and how beautiful she was, so he had decided to find her, to see if she would be interested in a date with him. He felt bad about drugging her, and wanted to get to know her better.

He frowned and began to walk away, after speaking with her tonight he was worried again. She had said all the right things and smiled at the right times, but there was something a little off. Her smile seemed a little desperate at times, and the way she had run to that Johnny guy sent up red flags in warning. Johnny had looked familiar to him as well. He was going to have to keep an eye on Elizabeth, and the rave would be a perfect place to start he decided.

****

~Jake's~

Jason let himself in his dark room and made his way to the bed. The tip he had been chasing turned out to be a dud. He laid down on the bed and put his arm over his eyes. The timing couldn't have been worse too. He had wanted to talk to Elizabeth about what had happened, before she had the opportunity to build any walls between them.

He didn't blame her for wanting to get away from Lucky. Lucky, he frowned and considered what Lucky had said and done tonight. Lucky had acted like a guy who was still in love with her, and was jealous of her interest with someone else. Yet at the same time, his claims of ownership were way out there. If this is what Elizabeth had been living with for the past several months it was no wonder she was ready to blow.

He got off the bed and headed for the window, stripping off his shirt along the way. He opened the window and let the breeze in the room. He had been surprised that she had kissed him, he had tried to kiss her before and both times she had backed off and pretended it didn't happen. That's what made this kiss even more special, she was the one who initiated it.

He leaned against the windowpane, and wondered what she'd think about what Lucky said, after she had time to cool off and think about it. Lucky had said he wanted her back. He didn't know if Lucky meant it or if Lucky had just said it to keep her away from him. He shrugged in the end the only thing he wanted was for her to be happy. He hoped that she might be willing to see if they could be happy together, but if not, then he would live with that. The one constant in their relationship had been her love for Lucky, so if that won out in the end he would have to respect her decision.

__

"Jason will always be my friend."

Her words from earlier came back to him. But if she was ready to let Lucky go, he was going to be here for her. As for the kiss, whether it would end up being real or temporary madness on her part he didn't know. He was glad it happened, he had wanted it to happen for months now, so he had no regrets, and he hoped she didn't either. He would wait and see how she acted the next time she saw him. He didn't want to lose her friendship so if she regretted it, he would never mention it again.

With that decision made he headed for the shower, to wash the day off. One thing he did know for sure, he wouldn't be able to wash away the memory of holding her, and her kissing him, and he had no desire too either.

****

~Studio~

"Are you sure he didn't follow us?" Elizabeth asked again when she unlocked her door.

"Yes we walked slow enough, and took the most meandering route possible. I would have known if he was behind us." Johnny entered the room behind her, his eyes sweeping the room out of habit more than an actual concern of a possible threat. "So are you ready to tell me what that was all about?"

She watched him make himself comfortable on the couch and realized she was going to have to tell him something. She'd rambled on about everything under the sun during their walk home, hoping he wouldn't mention it. She saw him cross his arms over his chest and realized she was S.O.L. "I just didn't want him to know where I lived."

"And you couldn't just tell him that?"

"No, then he would know I wasn't really inter…" she trailed off and turned away to straighten up some papers on her table. "I just think that a woman should get to know someone before she lets them walk her home."

"I agree with you, in fact I tell my sisters the same thing all the time," he waited until he saw her shoulders sag in relief, then went on. "But in this case that wasn't the reason."

"What makes you say that?"

"Elizabeth look at me," he waited until she did. "You have a little problem, when you lie to someone you care about you don't look at them. But when you lie to someone you don't like, like Zander, you look them dead in the face."

She frowned at that, she used to be better at lying. Maybe she should think of it as pretending she seemed to be real good at that.

"Elizabeth?"

"I can't say anything else Johnny, can't we just leave it at that?" She pleaded with her eyes and her voice. "Just know you did me a huge favor and I'll owe you one," she saw him begin to shake his head and hurried on. "Please Johnny."

He frowned at her then nodded. "Okay I'll drop it." And he would too. He'd drop it right in Jason's lap. He knew Jason would get the truth out of her. He glanced around the studio. "You've changed this place, it looks good."

She looked around proudly and agreed. "Thanks again for volunteering to help move the furniture in."

"I didn't volunteer, Francis drafted me," he corrected with a laugh. "If I had known it was three flights I would have said no."

"Come on it wasn't that bad," she teased him. "You mean to tell me a big strong guy like yourself had trouble moving things up three measly flights?"

"In case you didn't notice Elizabeth your headboard is solid Oak. That's not exactly lightweight material," he told her sticking up for himself.

"Well one good thing about tonight is you're calling me Elizabeth again. I'm sick to death of the Miss Webber you call me everytime you and Francis come into the diner. You're older than me, I call you by your first name, and yet I'm Miss Webber."

"I think Mr. Corinthos prefers that when were on duty," Johnny explained. "We keep it formal with everyone."

"But I heard you call Sonny boss."

"Well," he shrugged and got up. "I need to go."

"Wait I really do have something for you," she headed for a stack of sketchpads on the floor. "I meant to bring it to work, but I kept forgetting."

"You didn't have to get me anything." In fact he wished she hadn't. He didn't exactly know what her relationship with Jason was, but he had no desire to find out the hard way.

"It's nothing major Johnny, it's just a sketch, so relax. You might not even like it."

"I doubt that Jason says you're good."

Her face flamed at the mention of Jason and she was relieved she was turned away from him so he couldn't see her reaction. "Did he? That's nice."

"Yeah," he moved over to look at some canvas stacked against the wall.

"Are you and Jason tight then?" She kept her voice casual, almost disinterested.

"I guess, I'm as close as anybody. He doesn't let people in very far," he crouched down to study a landscape.

"Do you think he'll stay in town?" She tried to make it sound like she was just making conversation, but she held her breath while she waited for his response.

"I don't know. I know he liked to travel. He'd send these postcard from all over the place." Johnny answered absently. She really was talented, he wondered if she sold any of her work. His mother had a birthday coming up soon.

"He sent you postcards?" He sent Emily postcards and Johnny some too. Why didn't he send her any?

He heard the shakiness in her voice and thought back to what he'd said. Oh boy. "It wasn't that many, just a couple. He must have remembered that I sort of collect postcards." Collect postcards? Could he sound any lamer?

"Oh," she cleared her throat. "Found it," she got to her feet and started flipping through a sketchpad. "Here you go," she carefully tore out a sketch and handed it to him.

"Elizabeth," he wanted to fix what he'd said.

"Wait I need to sign it first," she took the sketch back and scribbled her name. "So what do you think?"

He glanced down at the picture and couldn't help but laugh. She'd drawn a sketch of him and Francis on either end of her headboard. She'd emphasized the strain and perspiration on Francis' face, while his own face was calm and easy. What was so funny was she had drawn it so his end of the headboard was propped up on a box, so he wasn't lifting anything while Francis was in fact holding up the headboard. "You know I only did that for a second."

"Sure."

"I was just catching my breath," he continued on following her to the door. He frowned at the sketch, she had drawn Francis with all these muscles where were his? "You know this isn't an accurate picture."

"I draw what I see Johnny," Elizabeth laughed and opened the door. "Night."

Johnny frowned at the sketch again and looked up in time for her to shut the door in his face. "Night," he muttered. It was a very good sketch she'd only made one mistake his muscles were bigger than Francis' were.

****

~Inside~

Elizabeth leaned against the door tiredly. Although it was only 11:30 it felt so much later than that. She felt like her whole world had changed. In a sense she guessed it had, she had kissed someone tonight and it wasn't Lucky. That was a first for her, it wasn't like the time she'd kissed Nikolas trying to make Lucky jealous. No when she kissed Jason she wasn't even thinking about Lucky. In fact she wasn't thinking at all.

Maybe that was part of the problem, she had kissed Jason because she'd felt like it, she couldn't try to think herself out of it now. She had done it and couldn't change it. In fact she didn't want to change it, kissing him had felt good. She flopped down on her bed. _Be honest Elizabeth it felt more than good, it was mind-blowing._ She groaned Lizzie was back in her head.

But Lucky had said she belonged with him tonight too, wasn't that what she'd been waiting for? _Not belonged with, belonged too, like you were his dog, or a trophy._ She had to admit Lizzie had a point that time. She didn't know what to think. She didn't know what to feel, or how she was supposed to talk to Jason now. Lucky's interruption was good on that point, she didn't have to see if he regretted kissing her. But where did they stand now? He'd barely been back in her life for twenty-four hours, and she'd already kissed him. He had made no effort to keep in touch with her while he was gone. At the time she thought that's just the way he was, he'd only sent Emily two postcards. But now she knew differently. He'd kept in touch with Johnny too. Maybe she was reading to much into what she thought he was feeling, maybe he'd only kissed her back out of surprise. After all he was older and more experienced than she was.

__

"There is no word for what I feel for you."

She'd just play it by ear, she'd wait to see how he acted around her. If he didn't mention the kiss then she wouldn't. In the end the one thing she knew for sure was she didn't want to lose his friendship, even if that meant never kissing him again. So she would wait and see how he acted around her tomorrow. With that decision made she headed for the shower, she had a feeling she'd be having more dreams tonight.


	8. An intense god

****

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 8

****

~Studio~

"Why me?" Elizabeth muttered when another empty hanger crashed to the floor. She stepped over it and kept pawing through her clothes, searching for a miracle, a clean shirt that she could wear to both jobs. She was beginning to think that was impossible.

She pulled out a hot pink shirtwaist dress and frowned at it. "What was I thinking when I bought this?" She dropped the dress on the floor then reached back into the mess that was her closet. She closed her eyes and yanked hard, managing to unearth two shirts a purple and a green one. Both of which, if paired with her black pants would be dressy enough for L&B and comfortable enough for Kelly's. Today might be a good day after all.

She heard a knock coming from the other room, stumbled out of the closet and surveyed the damage. "Maybe I should do my laundry," she muttered turning to head for the door only to stop and detour by the bed to pick up her robe when she realized she wasn't dressed. Without bothering to check the window to see who it was she unlocked the door and opened it. Any thoughts of doing laundry vanished from her head, "Jason."

"You shouldn't open the door without knowing who it is," Jason frowned at her. "You didn't even check the window. Elizabeth you need to be more careful," he stopped the lecture when she shut the door in his face.

"Who is it?" she called through the door.

He couldn't help but smile. "Very funny Elizabeth."

She pulled on the shade sending it up so she could look at him. "Your name is Elizabeth too? What a coincidence so's mine."

"Are you going to let me in?"

She shifted from the window and pulled the door open. "Do come in," she grinned at him in relief. She had expected to feel nervous around him, and was glad that she didn't, that she was able to tease him like usual.

Jason moved inside and set a bag he was carrying on the table with a thunk. "Were you robbed?" he turned to look at her before jerking his head at the mess on the other side of the room.

"No. That's just my normal Thursday morning, what the hell am I going to wear panic," she admitted with a laugh.

His eyes moved over her. "Interesting choice."

She swallowed hard at his look, did she really think she wasn't nervous? He had only looked at her and she was having trouble breathing again. Her hormones were awake with a vengeance. "I hadn't decided yet," she managed finally. Even the air seemed to react to his presence, it seemed more charged then usual.

He saw her blush and realized his look was making her uncomfortable, he hoped that was a good sign. Sometime during the course of the night, he had changed his mind in how to deal with Elizabeth. He had been planning to give her some time before he sought her out, but when he woke up this morning he realized he didn't want to wait. He needed to know where things stood between them.

"So what did you bring me?" Elizabeth asked when he continued to look at her. Feeling flustered she walked around him, making sure there was plenty of room between them and pointed to the bag on the table.

He put his hands in his back pockets so he didn't give into the temptation of touching her to find out if her skin was as soft as the colorful robe she was wearing. "That's the reason I came by. I need a favor."

"Of course," she agreed immediately.

"Don't you want to hear it first?" he asked testing her reaction by stepping closer, she tensed but didn't pull away.

"I trust you," she looked up at him.

He looked down into her upturned face, their height difference readily apparent this morning. He hadn't realized how small she really was. She normally wore boots or shoes around him that made her appear taller than she really was. He felt like a big ox standing next to her, but the trust he saw in her eyes comforted him. "Good. I was afraid you might not after last night."

"Why? What happened last night wasn't your fault," she answered honestly. "Lucky had no right to go after you like that. I'm sorry he did."

"You don't have to apologize to me for what Lucky did," he took a chance and touched her hand.

"I feel like I should though," she looked down at his hand. "Lucky was your friend and I feel responsible for him going after you the way he did."

"Lucky's changed, you can't control what he does."

"I know he's changed, I'm just trying to figure out why he's changed in the direction he has."

"Did you think about what he said last night," he paused until she looked up at him. "About wanting you back?"

"Yeah," feeling chilled she stepped away and rubbed her hands over her arms. "I didn't like the way he said it, like he was," she trailed off.

"Staking ownership," he finished for her.

"Yes," she nodded and turned to face him again. "My Lucky would never talk like that, so it's hard for me to understand why this Lucky is doing what he does."

Her Lucky to this Lucky, he wondered if that meant she was seeing them as two different people with her Lucky being gone. "About what set him of…"

"God will you look at the time," she interrupted him. "I'm going to be late for work again." She hurried to the other side of the room, and began to sort through her clothes on the bed.

Avoidance again, Jason sighed heavily.

"Purple or green?"

Her question caused him to focus on her. "What?"

"Purple," she held a shirt to her chest, "or green?" she held the other one up.

He shrugged, "Their both nice."

"God you're so helpful," she frowned at him, dropped the green shirt and headed into the bathroom to get dressed. She left the door open slightly. "What was the favor?"

"It's something I've wanted to do since last winter," he wandered around the studio side of her place. He frowned at a canvas on the easel, seeing the bright colors there but not much else. He moved on to look out the window. "It's more like something I want to do for you."

"Just a minute, I can't hear you," she made a face at her reflection in the mirror. Why had she run away like a chicken when he started to bring up the kiss? Was it because she was afraid he would say it was a mistake and it would never happen again? Or because she was afraid he would say that he wanted it to happen again? She groaned loudly, when did life get so confusing?

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just fighting with my hair," she called back, "and myself," she murmured to her reflection.

Jason looked at some books she had stacked on the windowsill, one in particular caught his eye, _The Mysteries of Egypt_. He took it down and opened the front cover. _Property of the Port Charles Public Library,_ was stamped on it. He flipped to the back of the book to read the date due stamp and saw that it was overdue by about 8 months. He smiled slightly and tried to figure out what that meant. Why had she kept the book, she had gotten for him, when he had been recuperating here?

"Now what did you bring me?" Elizabeth asked coming back in the room and heading for the bag. She opened it, curiosity bright in her eyes, "Locks?"

He couldn't help but laugh at the confusion on her face when she pulled a slide bolt lock out of the bag. "Yes locks."

"Gee Jason you shouldn't have," she rolled her eyes. "I mean that."

"You need them," Jason replied easily.

"I have locks already," she pointed to the door. "See?"

"I know but these are better," he held up his hand to stop her reply. "Just hear me out, please."

Elizabeth sighed and moved over to the couch, knowing she could never refuse him, when he said please. "You have three minutes before I have to leave for work."

Jason followed her to the couch, he knew he would have to choose his words carefully, if he wanted her to listen. "I know how much you love living here. But you know this building isn't very secure. You have a single bolt lock and a large window in the door. Elizabeth the lock is child's play, and even if it wasn't, with that window it doesn't matter. A person could break the window, and reach in, unlock the door, and be inside in less than a minute."

"Don't sugarcoat things for me Jason I can handle the truth," Elizabeth replied trying to downplay the uneasiness she felt when she found out how easy it was to break in here.

"I'm really not trying to frighten you," he told her softly when he saw the fear in her eyes. "I just wanted you to know."

She reached over and took the slide bolt from his hand. "And this is supposed to help?"

"Yeah. If you want to keep the door, I want you to let me replace the handle lock, and put this lock," he pointed to the slide bolt. "Low enough on the door that if someone did break the window they couldn't reach it. I also want to put one of these on your bathroom door."

"Why?"

"So if someone does break in and you're here, you have a safer place to hide."

"Jason are you in trouble?" she touched his hand in concern. "Is that what this is all about?"

"No I'm fine," his hand covered hers. "You matter to me Elizabeth. I just want to make this place safer for you, or as safe as you let me."

She could only see concern in his eyes, turning them serious. "You said if I keep the door. Why wouldn't I keep the door," she pointed to the bag. "Do you have a new door in that bag too?"

"No but I do have one."

"Jason," she grinned in surprise. "When did you have time to get me a door?"

"I found one after I saw you that first night and found out you moved back here.

She looked down at the lock in her one hand, then at the hand that was still holding Jason's. She hadn't even realized that she was still holding his hand. It had felt so natural, that she wasn't aware of it, she frowned at their hands for a second, then left her hand there. "If I let you what would you do to this place, to make it safer for me?"

"Well short of you moving out, which you wouldn't do, I'd install an alarm system," he saw her eyes widen at that. "Which you wouldn't like either. So I'd settle for replacing the door with a fire door, with no window, better locks, and spy hole so you could check who was there." He decided to stop there rather then mention what he would do to the windows. As prickly as her pride was he knew she wouldn't go for that.

Elizabeth sighed and got off the couch, glancing at the door, and then at the lock on her hand. A door with no window in it would have come in handy when Jason had stayed here last winter. Or at least if they had remembered to pull the shade more often. "But you would be satisfied if I told you to just put on the new slide bolt?"

Jason bowed his head and sighed heavily. "I guess I'd have to be."

She smiled at the resignation she heard in his voice, then quickly turned it into a frown when he looked up at her. "Can you meet me at the corner of 12th and Waters at 1:30 today?"

"Yes," if he was surprised at the change of subject he didn't show it.

"Just like that? No questions?"

"I trust you," he repeated her own words to her.

"Okay meet me there at 1:30," she picked up her bag and headed for the door. "And don't forget to bring the keys to my new door."

"Why did you change your mind?" he got to his feet and trailed her to the door.

"Why?" she repeated turning back to look at him. "You explained why you wanted to do this when I asked you to. You were willing to let me make up my own mind and not tell me what I had to do. You were willing to do what I wanted to do even though you didn't want to. In other words you gave me a choice and respected me enough to make the right decision," she smiled at him. "Of course you always do. 1:30 don't be late," she ordered and then was gone.

Jason leaned against the door after she closed it and shook his head slightly, somehow she always managed to surprise him. She might not have been willing to discuss the kiss, but he had found out the most important thing. They were still more than friends and he wouldn't have that any other way.

****

~Docks~

"Ah Lucky it's always a delight running into you," Helena Cassadine called stopping Lucky in his tracks.

Lucky sighed and turned around to face her. "What do you want from me now Helena?"

"Now that isn't very nice Lucky. Really your mother has taught you the most deplorable manners."

Lucky opened his mouth automatically to defend Laura, and instead said. "I'm sorry Helena, I've had a bad night. I shouldn't take it out on you."

Helena smiled at the boy's subservience. She hadn't even had to use the control phrase this time, that told her that Lucky was indeed upset, and her control over him was solid. "Please sit and tell me what has you so bothered. Perhaps I can help."

"I saw something last night that worried me, something concerning Elizabeth and Jason," he explained sitting on the bench beside her.

"Jason Morgan?" Helena questioned she wasn't aware that he was back in town.

"Yes him," his voice was full of disgust. "He's confusing her, and she's going to get hurt because of him."

"What is he doing?"

"He wants her for himself, so last night he kissed her," anger was apparent in his voice. "I caught them and confronted her, and she had the nerve to send me away."

Helena didn't like the sound of this. She didn't see Elizabeth's appeal, but her grandson wanted her. One of the benefits of her control over Lucky, was being in the position to get her for Nikolas. Elizabeth had made the foolish mistake of choosing Jason over Nikolas once before, she wouldn't allow her to hurt Nikolas again.

"Even when I told her that she belonged with me, she told me to leave," Lucky continued on clenching his fists in anger.

"Don't you mean she belongs with Nikolas?" Helena corrected him sharply. Lucky turned to look at her and she was surprised at the venom she saw in his eyes. She could feel the anger coming off of him and realized that she needed to reassert her control. "Elizabeth belongs with Nikolas."

"No she's mine," Lucky snapped surging to his feet.

"Lucky protect your queen," Helena called after him, and like she threw a switch inside of him the anger faded from his stance. His red face drained into an impassive mask, the venom vanished from his eyes, turning them vacant, and when he smiled passively at her she knew he was hers. "Whom should Elizabeth be with?"

"Nikolas," Lucky answered automatically, even as a small part of his mind rebelled against that thought.

"That's right, and what will you do to see that happens?"

"I'll convince her that she should be with Nikolas, because Nikolas loves her, and they would be perfect together." Lucky's replies were monotone.

"Yes they would," she stood from the bench and straightened her jacket. "As for Mr. Morgan, we don't want him to interfere."

"No," he snapped a little of the anger worked its way back up to the surface.

Helena was pleased to see that. Anger was such an effective weapon, when it was harnessed correctly. Lucky had done a good job of holding back his anger, even when he was under her control. It seemed that Jason Morgan was the catalyst she needed to unleash Lucky's anger. That would be good to know in the future. "So you will have to keep a close eye on Mr. Morgan won't you? Especially when he is with Elizabeth."

"I will," he vowed. "I will make sure Elizabeth sees Jason for the hood he really is."

"Good after all being around Jason could be unhealthy for her," she explained. "We wouldn't want Elizabeth to get hurt."

"Are you threatening Elizabeth now Grandmother?" Nikolas asked hurrying down the stairs to stand between her and Lucky. "Why are you talking about Elizabeth?"

"Why Nikolas how lovely it is to see you," she beamed at him. "But I am afraid that you misunderstood me as usual."

Nikolas ignored her and turned to face his brother. "Why are you even talking to her? And about Elizabeth of all people."

"Relax," Lucky smiled vaguely. "You really need to cut Helena a break, she has been nothing but good to me, and she only wants what is best for you."

Nikolas shook his head tiredly before turning to face her. "I am getting tired of telling you this Grandmother, but I will try again. You say you will do anything for me, correct?"

"Of course my darling."

"Fine then stay away from the people I care about, specifically Lucky, Elizabeth, Emily and my sister. I mean what I say Helena, do not go near them."

Helena practically glowed in pride, the warning in his voice pleased her so. "Nikolas I only have your best interests at heart. I hate the fact that Stefan continues to poison your mind against me," she sighed. "I will relish the day when you finally realize how much I love you and would in fact do anything for you. As such I will abide by your wishes and leave."

Nikolas stepped back and avoided her hug.

"Lucky," she paused in front of him. "It was a pleasure as always," her eyes pierced his in warning. "You will remember what we discussed, won't you?"

"Of course Helena," Lucky smiled agreeably at her. Once again losing his identity at the sight of her eyes, and the sound of her controlling voice.

Nikolas watched her warily until she and Andreas disappeared from view, then he focused on his brother. "Lucky why do you keep talking to Helena?" He touched his arm when he didn't respond, "Lucky?"

Lucky jerked his eyes from the spot Helena disappeared and focused on Nikolas. The fog seemed to be lifting from his brain, making it easier to concentrate. "I told you I don't have a problem with Helena. If you gave her a chance, you wouldn't either."

Nikolas rubbed at the back of his neck and tried to squash the impulse to shake some sense into his brother. "You know that's not true. Lucky she tried to kill our Grandmother, our mother, you know she can't be trusted."

Lucky recognized the truth in what Nikolas was saying but he still couldn't bring himself to agree. "I thought we agreed not to discuss Helena since it was apparent we weren't going to agree."

"We did agree to that," Nikolas admitted. "But that changes when I hear you discussing Elizabeth with her. Now what did Helena mean about Elizabeth being hurt?'

Anger cleared more of the fogginess from his brain. "I told her about Elizabeth spending time with Jason. She agreed with us, that nothing good would come out of that. That the more time she spends with him, the more of a chance she will be hurt because of it."

Nikolas agreed with the sentiment, but he still wasn't comfortable with Lucky talking to Helena about Elizabeth. Elizabeth had told him that Helena had confronted her, a few times before about him. She hadn't told him what Helena had said to her, but he had been able to see the fear in her eyes. He did not want Helena anywhere near Elizabeth. "Lucky I don't know why you want to spend time with Helena, but I don't want you to discuss Elizabeth with her."

"You think Helena will hurt her?" Lucky laughed at that. "She won't. She knows you love her, Helena would never hurt her because of that."

Nikolas frowned at the words, he didn't like the way Lucky had phrased that. That the only reason Helena wouldn't hurt Elizabeth was because of his feelings for her. It made him wonder what Helena would do to her if he weren't in love with Elizabeth.

"Lucky, Nikolas," Emily hurried down the steps to join them. "What's wrong?" she asked Nikolas when she saw his face.

Nikolas shook off his uneasiness and turned to her. "I just had a run-in with Helena."

"Helena?" her eyes whipped to Lucky and she saw the vacant smile on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Of course, Helena's not a monster," he dismissed the concern in her eyes. "I need to get to work. I'll talk to you two later."

"Lucky," she caught his arm stopping him. She knew Nikolas was listening so she tried to phrase her question carefully. "Are you sure nothing happened?"

Lucky patted her hand. "I'm fine, Nikolas is fine, everyone is fine," he hurried up the stairs and disappeared from view.

Emily sighed and turned around to face Nikolas, who had his arms crossed over his chest and was studying her intently. "What?" she asked nervously when the scrutiny continued.

"Why are you so worried about Lucky?"

She looked away and looped her fingers in the back of her pants trying to look unconcerned. "Because of Helena. Why else?"

He knew by her posture that she was evading the question. He could read her pretty well, and his senses were screaming that she was lying to him. "It's more that that Emily."

"I don't know what you mean," she started by him and couldn't help the exclamation of pain that slipped out when he reached out and stopped her by catching her arm.

"Did I hurt you?" Nikolas immediately dropped his hand.

"No it's nothing," she tried to step away but he caught her hand holding her in place. "Nikolas don't."

He ignored her and pushed the sleeve of her shirt up exposing a ring of bruises above her wrist. He looked up into her face in shock, and then back down at the other arm, pushing the sleeve up to expose a matching ring of bruises. "Who hurt you?"

"Nikolas its no big deal," she hedged looking away when he looked up again.

"Emily tell me who hurt you," he turned her head forcing her to look at him. "Tell me."

It was hard to ignore the command in his voice, and the plea in his dark eyes. "Lucky," she whispered. "It was Lucky."

****

~Kelly's~

Elizabeth looked up when she heard the door open and a smile lit her features. "Luke you're back," she cried in delight hurrying around the counter to hug him.

"Darlin if I'm going to get a welcome like this every time I come back in town, I'm going to go out of town more often," Luke grinned and gave her a big hug.

"You're out of town too often as it is," Elizabeth drew back and smiled at him. It had taken some time, but she was closer to Luke than anyone else in the Spencer family. But it was so much more than that. She had never been close to her own father, after a rocky beginning, Luke had become a surrogate father to her.

"Ah I love to be missed," he winked at her. "Especially by pretty young things."

She laughed like she knew he wanted her to do. "Do you have a minute? I need to talk to you."

"I have all the time in the world for you."

"Okay sit and I'll tell Tammy I'm taking my break," she hurried back into the kitchen.

Luke took a seat and watched her through the window. He knew her well enough to know that there was some problem causing the worry he saw in her dark eyes. He sighed heavily, he had a feeling his son was involved. Laura accused him of being obsessed with the Cassadines and while he readily admitted he was, he had another obsession too. That obsession was his family, and Elizabeth was a member of his family and she always would be. Even if his son wanted to throw her away, Luke never would. It surprised him a bit, how loyal he was to her. She was the only non-Spencer that he had ever let in that far.

"Here's some coffee."

Elizabeth set a cup in front of him, drawing his attention away from his thoughts. He watched her settle in front of him. "How have you been?"

"Okay I guess," she sipped at her soda. "It's been difficult."

"Because of Lucky?" he leaned back against his chair. "Does he still have that wild hair about you and the Cassadine being the second coming of Liz and Dick?"

"Liz and Dick?"

"Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton," he saw her blank look and shook his head. "Don't those schools teach you anything anymore?"

She smiled, boring was never a word anyone could ever associate with Luke Spencer. "Yes he's still convinced that I should be with Nikolas."

Luke shook his head, he couldn't understand what was going on in Lucky's head, and that was unusual. Even when Lucky had been furious with him a few years before, he knew what Lucky was thinking. But now he couldn't seem to get a read on him. If he was having troubles and he only saw Lucky a few times a week, he could imagine how Elizabeth felt when she saw him daily. "I don't know what to tell you about that. I don't know where he got that idea."

"I don't know either, but that isn't the only thing," she hesitated. When Luke had walked in the diner today she knew that she needed to tell him some of what was going on. Next to her Luke knew Lucky better than almost anyone else. "Something happened last night with Lucky that really worries me."

He saw the serious look in her eyes and leaned forward in concern. "What?"

"Lucky saw me with Jason and he got angry. Luke I've never seen him that angry," she paused and tried to find the words to say this without hurting him. "Even as angry as he was with you because of, well you know. He was still in control then. But last night, he was out of control," she rubbed at her elbow. "He even got violent."

"Violent?" he didn't like the sound of that. "What did he do?"

"He attacked Jason," she rubbed her elbow again, "twice."

Luke saw her motion. "Did he hurt you?" he gestured to her arm and she immediately stopped rubbing her elbow. "Elizabeth?"

"He didn't mean to," she hurried to explain. "He pushed past me trying to get to Jason, and I rammed my elbow on the table."

Luke pulled a cigar out of his pocket and began to roll it in his fingers, he really didn't like the sound of that.

"Luke you know Lucky. He doesn't react to things like that."

"Did he even notice what he did to you?"

"No, he didn't even stop," she admitted and he grimaced. "You see what I mean?"

Now he was worried. He had watched Lucky with her, for over a year before the fire. His son would watch everyone and everything around her, obsessed with making sure nothing or nobody touched her or hurt her. For Lucky to hurt her and not even know it made him admit something he hadn't wanted to say aloud since Lucky had come home, that there was something seriously wrong with his son.

"Even though his anger scared me, there was something worse though. His eyes were blank, his face was livid with anger and he was saying all this stuff, but his eyes were vacant," those vacant eyes had haunted her during the night.

"Well darlin we know the cowboy hasn't been the same since he's come back. Maybe something happened to him that he hasn't told us about."

"Maybe, but it would have to be something pretty bad to make him act like that."

"Has he mentioned anything about what Faison might have said or done?"

"No. We don't talk very much, whenever we do see each other he goes on and on about me being with Nikolas. That of course makes me angry, because he is trying to control me, to tell me what to do, so I walk away," her fingers traced patterns in the condensation forming on her glass. "The only one he still seems wiling to talk to is Emily."

Luke brightened at her name. "They were always close."

"I know. Maybe she knows more," she shrugged. "But I don't know if she'll tell us anything. Her first loyalty seems to be with Lucky."

"Does that bother you? The fact that she sees Lucky so much?"

"No I know their friends, I understand that," she replied honestly, she had been upset at first, but now she was actually relieved. "It's just that Emily wants things back the way they were, so bad, that sometimes she's blind to how things are right now."

Luke studied her shrewdly he knew her well enough to pick up on some things that she might now want him to know. "Like the fact that you are letting Lucky go for good?"

Elizabeth stiffened at the question and tried to avoid looking at him. She wouldn't be able to lie to him if she saw his eyes, and she suddenly realized that she would have to lie to him. If she told the truth, she would let him down and hurt him, and she didn't want that. "I didn't say that. You know I owe Lucky too much to ever quit on him."

He saw through the fake smile in a heartbeat and felt a pang of regret over the loss of her for his son. "What about Mr. Talkative then?"

"Who?"

"Jason, he of the Woody Woodpecker haircut. Seeing him with you set Lucky off, somehow I don't think you were just talking. That doesn't seem to be what Jason does best."

She withdrew from him, hurt at the accusation, even though it was true. "I thought you of all people knew the truth. That the only reason he stayed with me last winter was because I was helping him, that he was my friend and nothing more."

"Elizabeth," he read the hurt in her eyes and held out his hand to her. "I know that. Darlin I watched you grieve so hard for my boy, that it broke what little heart I had left," his hand tightened on hers when she took it. "But Lucky is back now, and he's changed. You don't have to grieve anymore."

"I know he's back, and you're right he has changed," her eyes searched his looking for permission to go on.

"It's okay Elizabeth tell me what you think."

"A part of me will always miss Lucky, because even though he is back, he's not. You always said that Lucky had the best heart," she sighed in regret then forced herself to go on. "I don't feel that heart anymore, this Lucky is an angry stranger."

"I know it's hard, but I have to believe that my son is still in there, that he's still fighting to come back. I don't know what Fu Manchu or the Wicked Witch did to mess with his head, but I know that Lucky will figure out a way back. The Spencer's are too stubborn, and strong to be held down for long," he put the unlit cigar in his mouth. "I'm just going to hang on until he does." He was also going to go after the dragon lady to find out what she did to his son. Inactivity was one thing he did not do.

She saw the resolve to help Lucky in his eyes and it helped harden her own resolve. "I won't give up either. I just wanted to let you know what was going on."

"I know you mean well, and there's nothing I would like more than your help," he patted her hand. "But you've put your life on hold long enough. It's time for you to start living again."

"But I need to help Lucky, I owe him so much," she argued. "Besides I helped before, when Lucky was angry with you and Laura."

"I know. I still believe you brought my son back to me. But you shouldn't help Lucky out of obligation, but out of love, or it won't help at all."

Elizabeth flinched and tears formed, she was losing him, she was losing the Spencer's, her family, she didn't want that. "I do love Lucky."

He saw the desperation in her eyes and for once cursed his lack of tact. "That didn't come out right. I know you love Lucky, but I don't think you're in love with my son anymore." Which was a pity because he knew if she were she'd fight for Lucky forever if that's, what it took. But her avoidance of his questions about Jason told him that she was moving on, even if she couldn't admit it to herself.

She didn't know what to say, because she was finally willing to admit to herself that maybe she wasn't in love with Lucky anymore.

"Don't look so sad darlin, we'll get him back," Luke stood. "I need to go check in at the club and find out if Claude booked another Reggae band into the club."

She stood as well and gave him a hug in goodbye. "Yes, you better go fire him again."

"Bye," Luke smiled at her.

"Luke," her voice stopped him at the door. "I'll let you know what's going on with Lucky. I'll keep my eye on him."

"I know," he pushed open the door and left. He wished he could be a better man and tell her again to start living her own life again. But he was a selfish man. He knew Elizabeth was his best chance of getting Lucky back. He moved in the direction of the docks, but he'd still go after the source of the problem, and that meant a visit with the old bat.

****

~Kelly's Courtyard~

"Jeez rude or anything?" Gia snapped when someone ran into her from behind. The rest of her blistering retort was lost when she turned and saw who had bumped into her. "Zander."

"Gia. I haven't seen you in awhile. Are you avoiding me?" Zander asked.

"I've been busy," she stayed in place and battled down her nervousness and fear.

"Yeah sneaking around with that guy you told me about," he scratched his chin. "What was his name again?"

"Nikolas."

"Right," he edged closer. "You know it was fate running into you like this. I wanted to talk to you about another friend of yours."

"Who?"

"Elizabeth."

"What about her?"

He could see the boredom on her face and hear the disdain in her voice. That was interesting behavior, when Elizabeth was supposed to be her friend. The warning bells were ringing in his ears again. "What do you two like to talk about?"

"Lot's of things," she answered briefly. "Look I have to go."

Zander stepped in front of her, stalling her in her tracks. "You know I hope you remember what you're not supposed to talk about. Not with her or anyone."

"Look I already told you I wouldn't," she tried to step around him, but he blocked her. "I don't know anything."

"That's never stopped you from running your mouth before."

Gia looked over his shoulder and saw her brother approaching, the color drained from her face and she backed up into the wall. "I have to go."

He saw the worry in her eyes, her sudden frantic movements and looked over his shoulder to see what had spooked her. He saw a tall good-looking bald guy moving closer, and every instinct in him screamed that the man was a cop. "What's the rush? Why don't we go say hello to Elizabeth?"

"He can't see me," she hissed. "Let me go."

"If I let you go, you need to tell me the truth about Elizabeth and what is really going on here."

Gia stopped her physical struggle as an internal battle continued to wage. She needed to get away from Marcus before he saw her, but she couldn't tell Zander that they knew he killed someone. She looked past him again, Marcus was almost here, her self-preservation instinct decided it for her. "Fine let's go."

Zander took her arm and propelled her out of the Courtyard on the Charles Street side the same time Taggert entered the Courtyard from the other side. He frowned in the direction the couple had left, he was struck again by a familiar feeling of recognition.

"Okay you can let go of my arm now, he's not following us," Gia cried after a couple of blocks.

"Fine," Zander let her go. "Start talking."

She swallowed hard and crossed her arms over her chest. "For starters Elizabeth and I aren't really friends. She's just friends with some people I know. We don't get along to well."

That didn't surprise him. Gia was a self-centered bitch, he doubted Elizabeth would stand for that for very long. "Then why were you two so tight at the rave?"

"You know what raves are like it's better to hang with someone, especially if you're a girl."

"Yeah but you don't do that. You always fly solo."

She shivered hating the fact that he seemed to know about her. "It was her first rave. So I hung close."

He could almost believe that, but he still felt that he was missing something. "What about the guys in her life?"

Gia stared at him in disbelief. Here she thought he was questioning her because he was suspicious of them, when in fact he wanted Elizabeth. How did the little twit do it? She wasn't beautiful, she wasn't that smart, yet here was another guy that she had hooked. "Unbelievable. What is her appeal?" She demanded. "She's short, okay looking, and mouthy, what the hell do all of you guys see in her."

"There's a quality about her that you'll never have Gia," he shrugged. "You would never understand."

"Well you'll never get her," anger made her speak rashly. "You'll have to take a number at the end of the line of the fan club of Elizabeth Webber. First there's the blond, brain dead, ex-boyfriend Lucky, then there's the, oh so rich but clueless Nikolas, and finally the dark horse, an intense god named Jason. You're in last place buddy."

He knew about Lucky but who were the others? He frowned when he placed one of the names. "I thought Nikolas was with you."

Her eyes widened and anger vanished, when she suddenly remembered who Zander was, and she now felt fear. "He used to have a thing for her," she tried to brazen it out. "But he's over her now."

"Really?" He moved closer. "Why am I having a hard time believing you? And if your lying about this, it makes me wonder what else you are lying about. Did you lie to me when you said you haven't talked to anybody about the Pinecone Motel?"

"I'm not lying," perspiration was forming on her brow. She caught movement over his shoulder. "Look there's Jason the front runner to win the heart of Elizabeth," she pointed to him, trying to deflect Zander's attention.

Zander gave her a warning glare, and took her arm to hold her in place, and then turned to look. He saw a tall blonde man in jeans, speaking to an even taller blonde in a suit. He watched the man in jeans scramble up in the truck and pick up a door, easing it down to the guy in the suit. "Which one is Jason?"

"The one who wears his jeans so well."

He focused on the man again, then lowered his gaze to look at the lettering on the side of the truck. C&M Coffee. He dropped her arm in surprise and she hurried away but he didn't even hear her go. C&M stood for Corinthos/Morgan. Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan, Jason the guy who was with Elizabeth. C&M were Sorel's main competitor. He focused on the men again and saw the jacket fly open on the man in the suit exposing a holstered gun. This wasn't good. Elizabeth Webber had a lot of explaining to do.


	9. Easy Al's

****

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 9

****

~Docks~

"Lucky," Emily whispered. "It was Lucky."

Nikolas closed his eyes expecting to feel disbelief or surprise, but he didn't. Instead he felt like the other shoe had finally dropped. Something had been off with Lucky ever since he had returned. The Lucky before the fire would have cut off his hands before he would hurt Emily, but this Lucky was different.

He let go of her hands and moved past her to sit on the bench. This Lucky was so different, that he had sensed the anger and a hint of violence coming off of Lucky for months now, but he had tried to ignore it. "I wish I could say I was surprised." He faced her when she sat down beside him. "But look at what he did the first time he saw Luke, he decked him and ran away."

"He didn't mean to hurt me." Emily argued a little too desperately. "I was trying to help him and he lost control."

"Emily he's been losing control a lot lately. And regardless that doesn't excuse him for putting marks on you. So how did this happen?"

She averted her eyes. "I told you I was helping him."

"With what? What could you have been doing that he gave you these bruises?" He demanded pushing her sleeve up to expose the dark rings again.

She was quiet, she didn't like thinking about Lucky kissing her, because it really hadn't been a kiss to her. A kiss was an act between two people that had the potential to be magic. The more she thought about Lucky's mouth on hers, and his weight pressing her to the bed, the more uneasy she became. Maybe she had been in denial where Lucky was concerned, but the memory of yesterday and last night had forced her to wake up.

"Emily?"

"It's hard to explain Nikolas." She sighed heavily and began. "You know how hard it is for Lucky to talk to Elizabeth? That every time he does he ends up hurting her."

Nikolas nodded.

"Well he's been wanting to tell her some things, so I told him to practice on me. To pretend I was Elizabeth and tell me what he wanted to tell her," her voice drifted off. "I just thought I could help him and Elizabeth."

"But?"

"He lost touch with reality." After hours of denial she finally said the words out loud. "He really thought I was Elizabeth, and he just wouldn't stop. Even when I fought him and yelled at him, he wouldn't stop."

Nikolas felt his stomach drop and he carefully took her hand in his. "He didn't stop what Em?" He was afraid he knew and he hoped he was wrong, but he needed to know for sure to help Emily and Lucky.

"Kissing me." Her admission was soft, difficult for him to hear.

"Hey Em, Nikolas."

Elizabeth's greeting stopped Nikolas before he could speak, he turned to look at her and for the first time in months he wished she were anywhere but here.

Grateful for the reprieve, Emily shifted on the bench to look at Elizabeth. "I was just on my way to see you."

"Oh well I just got off," Elizabeth looked at her watch. "I'm meeting someone, and then I have to get to L&B." An idea popped in her head and she grabbed Emily's arm, pulling her from the bench. "I need to talk to you alone for a second." She turned back to Nikolas and shot him a smile. "Excuse us a minute. Hey is that a new shirt?"

He looked down automatically and opened his mouth to respond, but she went right on speaking. "It is? Great green is a good color for you. Now excuse us," she pulled on Emily's arm again.

Emily shrugged her shoulders at Nikolas and let Elizabeth pull her away from the bench. "You're in a good mood."

"I am?" Elizabeth looked surprised. She hadn't been, after Luke had left she had felt really depressed. But as the clock inched along moving closer and closer to the time, she was going to see Jason again, her spirits had picked up.

"You look like your flying." Emily studied her friend, if she didn't know better, she would think that Elizabeth's good mood was drug aided. She hadn't seen Elizabeth look this full of life in … she frowned she couldn't even remember the last time. Her face was glowing, her eyes sparkling, the smile was wide on her face, and it seemed like she couldn't stand still.

__

"Jason was kissing her."

Lucky's words came back to her. That couldn't be it, could it?

"Earth to Emily, come in Emily." Elizabeth grinned as Emily blinked owlishly at her.

Emily couldn't help but respond to the grin. She hadn't seen Elizabeth smile like that since before the fire. "What?"

"Can you do me a favor?" Elizabeth repeated, drawling out the words in exaggerated slowness.

Emily rolled her eyes at her antics. "Sure."

"Good," Elizabeth checked her watch again. "Can you call Jason at exactly 1:45?"

"Why?" It seemed her brother was the cause of the good mood. She still didn't know how she felt about that.

"Please Em."

"Yeah I can," she caved, she really had to speak to her brother and Elizabeth about what was going on between them.

"Great." Elizabeth grinned again and then took a step away. "I got to go."

"Wait. What am I supposed to say to him?"

"Oh I don't know," she bit her lip and thought about it. "Just ask for me." With that she turned back to the bench. "Bye Nikolas, I need to go, but I'll talk to you later."

"Bye Elizabeth." Nikolas got to his feet when Emily joined him.

"I almost forgot." Elizabeth turned around on the stairs to face them again. "I found out some stuff and need to tell you," she looked around before going on. "About Zander and the rave, but I'll have to fill you in later."

"Elizabeth are you okay?" Nikolas couldn't help but question her. She was acting so strangely.

"What?" Elizabeth demanded. "Can't a person be in a good mood?"

"Of course I just mean…"

"I'm fine Nikolas. But I am going to be late." Elizabeth smiled again then was gone as quickly as she'd arrived.

Emily looked over at Nikolas and saw the same look of surprise reflected on his face, that she knew was on hers. "You saw it too."

"I saw what?" Nikolas focused on her.

"Elizabeth. When was the last time you saw her like that?"

He stuck his hands in his pockets and thought about it. He had seen her smile and laugh for months, but nothing like that. "I thought she was happy for the most part. I knew things were rough with Lucky, but I thought she was happy."

"But?" Emily prompted him moving back to the bench. She wanted him to say it out loud because then she could too.

"When you see her flying like that, her eyes dancing, it makes you realize that she hasn't been happy in a really long time. I never realized she was so good at pretending." He dropped heavily on the bench and stared blindly at the water. Seeing her today only showed how desperate he had been around her. He wanted her to be happy so badly, that he had bought into her act that she was, and in truth she was really only halfway alive.

"It hurts doesn't it?"

Emily's soft question got his attention. "What hurts?"

"Caring so much for someone when all they see you as is a friend." She knew the pain he was feeling very well.

****

~PC Grille~

"Alexis are you eating alone?"

Alexis jolted when she placed the voice. Her fingers tightened convulsively on the pen in her hand, before she forced herself to loosen them and looked up. "Yes I am Sonny."

Sonny pointed to the chair opposite her. "Can I join you?"

No of course he couldn't join her. She was here trying to work, because her office was too quiet, and gave her too much time to think about last night and him. So why would she want the object of her distraction to join her at a lunch she was only picking at to begin with? She didn't, she wanted him to leave, she wanted to be alone, so she could figure out what she was thinking. "Of course you can join me."

Sonny smiled and sat down.

"But if we do discuss business I will have to bill you."

The grin was lighting quick, and the dimples devastating. "I would expect nothing less from you, I could turn this into a business lunch and write off the expense entirely."

Alexis leaned back against the chair. "Now that is an idea."

"But I don't want to talk about business," he nodded at the waiter who set a drink in front of him. "I would rather talk about you."

"Me?" Alexis reached nervously for her water. "What about me?"

"Are you okay? I know you were upset last night, and this morning you ran out of the garage so fast, I was worried."

She turned away and took a long sip of her water buying time. She had been hoping he hadn't seen her this morning. She hadn't been prepared to see him when she got off the elevator in the garage, so she did the only thing she could do. She turned around and got back in the elevator, went to the lobby and took a cab to work. "I was just running late."

Nerves, he could see them running just under the surface. She was so calm and in control when it came to her work, that nothing fazed her. But in her personal life, the cracks showed, and right now he was looking at some cracks. It gave him hope that she had felt something last night as well. He decided to try to help those cracks along, and wondering what type of response he would get from her, he took the first shot. "So why didn't you take your car then?"

"It's been acting funny lately, I keep meaning to get it checked." Her response was quick, she'd had time to prepare, and the ball was back in his court.

Sonny raised his eyebrows. "You know I can have someone check the car for you."

"Sonny what do I look like to you?" Alexis pulled her glasses off and leaned over the table towards him to make a point. "Do I seem like a helpless woman, who needs a man to take care of her car for her? I can take it to a mechanic myself, that's what their there for after all. So I can handle it myself, if it becomes necessary." And she wouldn't have to do that because there was nothing wrong with her car.

"I didn't mean to infringe on your control." He replied after a minute, there probably wasn't anything wrong with her car, but with Alexis you could never quite tell. "So if you're feeling so confident today, you want to talk about the wedding?"

Unfortunately for Alexis she had just taken a bite of her salad, right before he lobbed that question at her. She swallowed wrong and that set off a fit of coughing. "What about the wedding?" She managed finally.

"I just figured that was what Ned was calling to discuss with you last night." Scored with that hit.

"He was just checking in, he does that. That's what happens when you're in a real relationship." Deflect and counter, deflect and counter, it was just like dealing with any opposing counsel.

"Meaning what?" Sonny took a sip of his wine.

"Meaning the psycho blonde you're with these days."

"Ouch, the claws are back out." He put his hands over his chest in mock surrender. "And here I thought we were friends."

"I'm sorry Sonny." She began to twirl her glasses in her hand. "I had a bad morning and I'm taking it out on you."

"What happened?"

She pointed to the table and the list she had been working on. "Ned wants me to finalize the guest list so we can send out the invitations." She tried hard but she couldn't quite stop a scowl from crossing her features.

Sonny kept his face neutral. He was getting used to hiding the uncomfortable feelings he felt whenever he thought about her marrying Ned. Ned was so wrong for her, he was a Quartermaine through and through, he just hid it a little better then the rest. Lois had finally seen it and broken free of him, he wondered what it would take to make Alexis see it as well. "You're moving ahead then."

"Of course, I agreed to marry him, so why would I change my mind?"

"I don't know maybe the fact that you almost hyperventilate every time you think about being Mrs. Ned Ashton, for the rest of your life, is what makes me wonder if you really want to marry him." Sonny swirled some pasta on his fork. "Do you need a paper bag?"

Alexis glared at him. "A few justified concerns, does not mean I am backing out of the wedding. I love Ned, so why wouldn't I marry him. And I won't just be Mrs. Ned Ashton." She swallowed hard before saying those words.

"Of course not, you will also be one of the Quartermaines."

"I will still be the same person. Alexis Davis." She retorted.

"Don't you mean Alexis Davis Ashton?"

Her glasses clattered to the table. "I didn't change my last name when I married Jax, why would I change it now?" She liked her name, it was her name, her identity.

"Yeah but when you married candy boy, you weren't in love with him. It was a business relationship. This time you're in it for the long haul. Forever and ever Mrs. Ashton, of course you're Mrs. Ashton #7, but remember two of those marriages were to the same woman." Sonny couldn't help but needle her a little bit. She was far to good to waste her life on a user like Ashton. He had tried, for Lois and Brenda's sake, to get along with Ned. But after he convinced Brenda to wear a wire on him, any pretense of getting along with him went out the window. He tolerated Ned now, because he used to be one of the few votes of reason on the ELQ Board. But now he wasn't even that anymore.

"So what's in a name?" Alexis demanded. "I'll still be Alexis the best attorney in New York and most other states. I'll still be in control, I'll still love popcorn and American Movie Classics, changing my name won't change that. Just because I'll be Alexis Ashton, A Squared, doesn't mean I'll change. I mean look at you," she gestured at him with her fork, spilling the salad on the table. "You're name is Michael Corinthos, Jr. and you changed your name."

"Alexis calm down." He wanted to get a rise out of her, but not this much of one.

"Besides it's not like I haven't changed my name before. I was once Natasha Alandria Davidovitch. Could you imagine if I went in front of the bar with that name? The judge would kick me out before I could get it all out. So Alexis Davis works, and now I…" she gasped. "I guess…"

Sonny moved to her side when she began to gasp. "Breathe Alexis."

"Alexis Ashton will…" gasp, "work."

Sonny pushed her head between her knees. "Johnny."

"Right here." Johnny tapped him on the shoulder and handed him a paper bag, he had taken to carrying around with him. "There's nothing to see here people, move on." He turned on the curious onlookers with a glare that inspired them to move.

"That's it take it easy." Sonny told her softly, brushing her bangs back from her face while she breathed in the bag.

"This is so ridiculous." She pulled the bag away when her breathing began to settle.

"Quiet." Sonny brought the bag back to her face.

"Why do I keep doing this?" She asked when he finally took the bag away.

Sonny moved back to his seat. "Because your afraid."

"Why? What's changed? I love Ned, so why does the thought of marrying him, drive me to this?" She held up the brown paper bag with a confused look on her face.

"Maybe because deep down you know that he's not the one for you." Sonny offered keeping his voice low.

"Not you too, everyone seems to be against this wedding. The only ones in our families who are even remotely supportive are Nikolas, Emily, and Lila. Why is that?"

"We can see things that you're too close to see." He kept his voice even, trying to reason with her. Reasoning with a lawyer is never easy. They like to be the ones that say what is going on, not listen as things are being explained to them. So he had to tread lightly. "You two have had a lot of problems, you still do, and yet you seem to think this wedding will magically change everything. Marriage doesn't work like that."

Alexis thought about that. When Ned had first suggested getting married, he had mentioned it as years off in the future, so it was easy to agree and forget about it. Plans and her never seemed to have a knack in working out, so she put the proposal away and moved onto other things. But when he mentioned setting a date, because of the Eddie's Angel situation, she had been upset. No she had been afraid. She liked the idea of marriage, sometimes, but to actually get married, that was another thing entirely. 

"But Ned wants to marry me."

"So, what do you want?" He asked.

She wasn't even aware that she had told him that. She didn't want to be alone for the rest of her life. Ned was willing, no he actually wanted her on a permanent basis. No other man in her life had ever wanted her like that. Add to that the fact that she did love him on some level, and marriage made sense, at least to her logical mind. It was just her illogical heart and stomach that weren't paying attention. "What everyone else wants, to be loved, needed."

"And Ashton does that for you? He makes you feel loved, needed, secure?" He couldn't help but add that.

Secure was one thing that Ned never made her feel. He liked to put limits on his love. The realization of that made her want to change the subject. "What about you? What do you want Sonny?"

You the answer was on the tip of his tongue. "What everyone else wants, to be loved, needed."

She smiled wryly at him. He had managed to cheer her up, of course he always seemed to do that for her. He smiled back, and those dimples of his flashed, making her blink. If only he wouldn't look at her like that. It would make her life so much easier.

"Don't settle Alexis." He took a chance and covered her hand on the table. "There is someone who will make you feel all those things you wanted as a little girl."

"I stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago Sonny." She looked at their hands, then back at him. "Besides if he does exist, what's taking him so long to get here?"

"Maybe he is here, and you just haven't realized it yet." His thumb moved softly over the pulse point in her wrist, and he noted how it jumped under his touch.

"Son…"

"Alexis are you ready to go?" V interrupted Alexis, coming to a stop by the table.

Alexis pulled back immediately and looked up at her friend in confusion. "Go?"

"Yeah we had some things to discuss." V turned to Sonny. "Mr. Corinthos."

"Ms. Ardnowski." Sonny managed a smile when he really wanted to scream.

"That's right," Alexis began to shove her papers in her briefcase. "Sorry Sonny I'm late already."

"No problem." His eyes caught hers. "Think about what I said."

****

~Docks~

Nikolas turned to look at Emily, he knew that she was talking about herself, and him. They had never discussed the time that she had wanted more from him and he had been oblivious to her feelings until it was too late to stop the pain he'd unwittingly inflicted on her. He had been afraid that it would hurt her if he mentioned it, so he'd kept quiet. He had also been relieved, because he didn't know what he would have said if she had wanted to talk. So he'd kept quiet and tried to put their friendship back on track. It had taken a long time, but he thought he had finally succeeded. Now that she had brought it up he still didn't know how to handle it.

"Why do you say that?" He asked finally.

"Nikolas you forget how well I know you." Her smile was slightly bitter. "I know your feelings for Elizabeth run deeper then hers do for you."

"Does she know?"

"No the person you like is normally oblivious." She couldn't help the catty comment, but she hurried on trying to hide it. "She thinks you've let the idea of you two go. That it was only temporary madness on your part."

Nikolas heard the bitterness she was trying to hide and knew then that the hurt he'd unintentionally inflicted on her was still there, at least a little. He sighed heavily at that realization he hated hurting her.

She misread his sigh. "Don't worry Nikolas, it eventually does pass. Just look at me. I'm walking proof." She had gotten over him too, she had Juan in her life now. Of course one of the reasons she had jumped into the relationship with Juan was because he was the first guy who showed any interest in her. Because she was tired of the guys that she did like, only liking her as friends. That she wanted someone to want her for a change.

Now though she was trying to ignore the fact that not only did Juan want her, he seemed to want lots of other girls as well. She couldn't be too mad, Juan had served his purpose he had gotten her over Nikolas or so she liked to tell herself. She couldn't help but gasp at that thought. Where the hell had all of those thoughts come from? They couldn't be true. Her relationship with Juan wasn't based on fear of being hurt again or being alone. It just couldn't be.

"Are you okay?" He couldn't help but notice her distress. He took her hand drawing her attention.

She focused on him and tried to bury the thoughts that had rocked her. "I'm fine." She took a breath and tried to remember what they had been talking about, Elizabeth, right. "You'll get over her eventually."

Nikolas took a chance. "Like you got over me?"

Color flooded her face but she didn't look away. "Yes, like I got over you. Soon you'll go back to just being friends again."

He searched her face, for what he wasn't sure, but whatever he was looking for he didn't see it there. He sighed and lowered his eyes, and they happened to land on the bruises on her arms. The sight of them caused him to switch focus. "Finish telling me what happened with Lucky."

Emily blinked at the sudden change of subject, but she couldn't help but be relieved. The way he was looking at her made her pulse race and the last thing she wanted was to fall under his spell again. "I told you he thought I was Elizabeth and he started to kiss me." She kept her answer brief hoping it would be enough.

"Go on." When she still didn't speak he went on. "Emily I know you think your protecting Lucky but you are not. By not telling me, you're making me imagine a lot of things that I really don't want to think."

She didn't want to tell him, because she didn't want him to think less of her. She knew she hadn't done anything wrong, but there was a small part of her that wondered if he would feel the same.

"Please tell me."

"He had me pinned on the bed, his hands were holding my arms down, and they were so tight." Her voice had lowered and her eyes went dark at the memory. "He was really scaring me. I was yelling at him but it was like he couldn't hear me. I finally managed to get a hand free and I slapped him. That brought him back."

"Em I'm so sorry," he shifted and took her in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. That must have been terrifying for her. Lucky was in serious trouble that much was obvious, but his primary concern right now was in making sure that Emily was okay.

She closed her eyes and felt the uneasiness start to drain from her. "He was so horrified when he realized what he had done, that I felt bad for him. He didn't even remember doing it to me. I tried to convince both him and myself, that it was his feelings for Elizabeth that had finally overwhelmed him. He had tried to deny them for so long that he just couldn't anymore, and instead of Elizabeth he let them out on me. I even convinced him to talk to Elizabeth. You know me, ever the cheerleader." Her voice turned mocking. "Well he blew that, and only made things worse with Elizabeth. I tried to convince myself that it was a one time fluke, that Lucky would never lose control like that again."

Nikolas brushed his hand over her hair to soothe and waited for her to continue.

"But something happened last night that really makes me wonder."

"What happened?"

"Lucky was upset, so he came to see me." She had decided to leave out what had set Lucky off, at least for now. "I thought I had calmed him down, until he was ready to leave…"

__

"Lucky I'll talk to Elizabeth and Jason tomorrow. I'll find out what is going on between them." Emily moved from the windowseat to stand in front of him.

"And what if she tells you she is dating him?" He asked softly his blue eyes locked on her.

Emily wrapped her arms around her waist, suddenly feeling chilled in her thin tank top. She honestly didn't know how she would feel if Elizabeth started dating her brother. She wanted both of them to be happy, she just wasn't sure if she liked the idea of them being happy together. She frowned when she realized how selfish that sounded. She was beginning to realize that one of the reasons she was fighting so hard for Elizabeth and Lucky to reunite were for her own selfish reasons.

Elizabeth and Lucky were the closest thing to a perfect love that she had ever seen outside of books, and she wanted to believe that that kind of love didn't just disappear. She needed to believe that, otherwise what hope was there for her. That was a selfish reason to want two people to stay together, and she didn't like the realization. She had a lot of thinking to do here. "I don't know Lucky. Let's not borrow trouble by worrying about something before we know the truth."

Lucky got slowly to his feet. "I'll try but it's just so hard, every time I close my eyes I see her wrapped up in Jason."

"Try not to think about it." Habit had her giving him a hug in farewell.

Lucky's arms came around her immediately, pulling her tighter against him. She felt his face in her neck and waited for him to release her but he didn't. She patted his back and tried to pull away but he didn't let her go. Her eyes fell on the bruises she had discovered on her arms and she couldn't help but remember how she got them. For the second time that day, for the second time in her life, she was afraid of Lucky.

"Lucky let me go."

He gave no sign that he heard her order.

"Lucky stop." She hissed in warning. Her struggles grew when she felt his lips on her neck. "Let me go."

"Elizabeth." Lucky murmured the name in her ear.

Sickened and scared Emily stomped hard on his foot and twisted free of him. As she had feared she saw the familiar vacant eyes staring back at her from a face with absolutely no emotion on it.

"Lucky." She raised her voice and sharpened her tone when he stepped towards her. She got through to him and he seemed to snap back to life again. "I think you should go now."

Lucky blinked at her then shrugged. "I already said I was going Emily. Let me know what she says." With that he turned and climbed out the window.

Emily hurried to the window and did something she hadn't done for years. She locked it.

"It was like he wasn't even aware of what he had done. Like he wasn't even there for those few minutes." Emily was standing on the edge of the docks by then, rubbing her hands over her arms.

Nikolas rubbed at the back of his neck, this was worse then he'd thought. Lucky was sliding out of control. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah he just scared me a little." She tried to dismiss her fear. "There's something else you should know." Since she had given away a little she knew it was time to tell the rest. "This isn't the first time that Lucky has lost time."

"What do you mean?"

"One of the reasons that I've been spending so much time with Lucky is because I'm the only one who knows that he is losing hours out of every day." She saw his look of confusion and hurried on. "I noticed that he drifts off when your talking to him, and during that time he has no clue what is going on. He finally admitted that its been happening a lot, sometimes for hours at a time."

"Why didn't he say anything?" Nikolas demanded. "Why didn't you?"

"He wanted to keep it quiet, he threatened to leave if I told anyone. I was just trying to help him."

So that was the secret that they had been keeping. Between that, Juan and the Ted situation it was no wonder Emily looked like she was about to drop. "I can understand your loyalty to Lucky, it's just this is awfully serious for you two to try to figure out on your own."

"I know that." Emily cut off the lecture with a gesture of her hand. "I've tried to convince him to talk to someone else, someone like Kevin Collins or Gail Baldwin, but he refuses. He is convinced that we can figure it out ourselves. You know how he is Nikolas, he convinced all of us that we could handle the Ted situation. He can be very convincing when he wants to be. But I think both situations are getting out of control, and we need help with both of them."

"I'm glad you finally told me. Now we just need to figure out how to make him get some help." He ignored her comments on the Ted situation, he had a feeling he knew who she wanted to get help from, and right now he just wasn't up to talking about Jason.

"I thought if he told Elizabeth she could get him to get help. He agreed to tell her that he still loved her, but wasn't going to tell her anything else. I figured once she knew that much, she would figure out the rest. But Lucky got weird with her again and it didn't work." She debated a minute then decided to go on. "Now I think it's a good thing that it didn't work. The last couple of times that Lucky has slipped into this trance and lost control he has been fixated on Elizabeth."

"I take it you don't mean in a good way." Nikolas pressed her when her eyes shifted away. "There's more then your telling me isn't there?"

"I just think that with her history she shouldn't be around Lucky when he's this close to the edge. He could scare her or…" she trailed off.

"Or hurt her." Nikolas finished for her. He never would have thought it was possible to believe that Lucky would hurt Elizabeth, but a part of him did.

"So what do we do now?"

"I have to talk to Lucky." He answered with a sigh.

"He isn't going to want to talk to you about this." She tucked her hands in her back pockets and corrected herself. "No he's going to be mad at me for telling you and will more then likely shut down on both of us."

"So he gets mad, it's not like the first time he's been mad at me. Remember for the first two years or so that I knew him I was the Cassa-Creep." He held out his hand. "Come on let's get some lunch and you can fill me in on the rest."

She took his hand in relief, she was glad she wasn't alone in this anymore.

"One more thing. I don't want alone with Lucky, at least not until he get a handle on things." His dark eyes were serious.

Emily was quiet while she thought about his order. She didn't like being told what to do, even if it was only out of concern for her. But a part of her felt relieved that he had told her that. Lucky's behavior had been getting odder lately. With his reaction to Jason, and what he had done to her yesterday, she really didn't want to be alone with her oldest friend anymore. "Okay I will try not to be alone with him. What about Elizabeth? Do we tell her?"

Now it was his turn to be quiet. He couldn't help but remember how happy she had looked when she had come roaring through here a few minutes ago. If she did know she would do anything to help Lucky, including making herself miserable again. "Let's hold off on that. There is no reason to bother her until we have a better idea as to what is going on. After all it's not like she's going anywhere."

Emily wondered if she should tell him, that it looked like Elizabeth was going somewhere, at least in her heart. She was moving away from Lucky. If she did tell him she had a feeling he would want to get Elizabeth involved in helping Lucky just to keep her away from Jason.

"Do you agree Em?"

"That sounds like a good idea." Emily said finally. "It's not like we have to worry about her being alone with Lucky anyway. So I don't think we need to worry her yet." She felt a momentary twinge of guilt but buried it. "Let's eat."

****

~12th and Waters~

Elizabeth hurried down the street, checking her watch every few feet, she was so late that she hoped he was still there. She reached the corner and paused to settle her breathing and straighten her hair before turning it. She saw him immediately, and the sight of him was enough to make her breathing turned erratic again. He was across the street, leaning against the bike, his head was turned away from her and it gave her a chance to study him unaware.

Why did he seem to get better looking each time she saw him? He was dressed ordinarily enough, just like thousands of other men. But there was nothing ordinary about Jason. The black boots, led into faded, well-worn blue jeans, the sun was hitting his hair, and it made it seem blonder then usual. The day was hot, so he had left his leather jacket elsewhere, and instead wore a simple blue cotton T-shirt, his arms were tan and well defined. The artist in her wanted to sketch those muscles that were so clearly outlined by his formfitting shirt. The woman in her though, wanted to touch those muscles, to see if they would quiver under her touch.

"Elizabeth."

She wanted to follow the path of those muscles in his stomach, first with her hand and then with her mouth. Would her breath make them dance, they way his breath on her skin made hers dance?

"Elizabeth." Jason repeated her name and touched her arm in concern.

"Jesus." Elizabeth yelped and jerked back from him. My god she was fantasizing about him, while she was looking at him. When had her crush turned into full-blown lust? What the hell was she going to do?

"Are you okay?" Instantly concerned he reached out to her again.

"I'm fine." She avoided his touch by backing away. She just needed a minute to get her weird reaction to him under control. "I'm sorry you startled me."

He frowned at her when she refused to look him in the eye. "I had been trying to get your attention, you were just standing there looking at me. Didn't you hear me say your name?"

Mortification caused her face to flame and she tried to battle it back. She really needed to get some perspective here. This was Jason whom she was fantasizing about. If he knew what she was doing he'd probably be embarrassed, or pity her, or not want to be around her anymore, so she needed to suck this up. She took a deep breath and put on her best fake smile. "No I must have been daydreaming, sorry." She stepped around him being careful not to touch him. "Thanks for meeting me, I'm sorry I'm late."

"It's okay." He saw through the smile to the nerves she was trying to hide. He wished he knew what she was thinking. "So what are we doing here?" He asked as he trailed her down the street.

"You are going to help me get what I want." This time the smile was genuine, she swallowed hard and took his arm, to turn him into a drive.

Jason looked up at the sign over the drive _Al's Automotive Emporium_ and then back down into her grinning face. "You're buying a car?"

"Yes and you're going to help me." With that warning she led the way onto the lot. "Come on Jason."

"I didn't know you wanted a car." Jason commented when he followed her on the lot.

"What you think I want to ride the bus for the rest of my life?" She turned to look at him with a grimace on her face. "Believe me when I say that if I never see the inside of a bus again I will die happy. Everybody crowds you so you can't breathe, and the smells," she wrinkled her nose. "If possible they're even worse in the summer with all the heat and the swe…"

"Okay so you hate the bus." Jason cut her off and looked around the overflowing lot. "So what kind of car do you want?"

"It's not a question of what I want Jason, it's about what I can afford." She took his hand and led him to the left side of the lot. "That means secondhand used, which means these." She gestured to a series of vehicles that looked like they had a lot of wear and tear on them.

"If it's just a matter of money." He stopped in surprise when she suddenly turned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest. "Elizabeth?" His hand automatically went to her back.

"Play along Jason." She whispered tightening her hold.

"Hey there folks. It's a beautiful day for car shopping."

Jason shifted his head and studied the man who had joined them. He was barely taller then Elizabeth but was probably close to three times her weight. He was wearing green plaid pants and a brown shirt that was littered with sweat stains. The sun glistened off his heavily greased black hair.

"Oh hey there sweet thing, I see that your back just like you said. And you brought your man with you aren't you a smart little thing. He can tell you just how sweet my cars are. I'm Al, Easy Al is what they call me, because I love to make your car dreams come true, just as easy as pie." Al kept smiling even though he was a little upset. He much preferred to sell cars to women when they were alone. They were so much easier to be led that way. And this one had seemed more brain dead then most.

Elizabeth put on the vacant look she had been practicing. "Of course I'm back. I told you I loved this car. It's just so cute and the color is to die for."

Jason focused on her as soon as she spoke, she didn't sound like herself. In fact she sounded like someone he thought he knew. He frowned and listened as she went on about the car to Al. She sounded like that annoying blonde nurse from the hospital, Angie, or Amy or something.

"But Jason here," she touched his stomach, getting his attention. "Will have the final say. He worries about me."

Al glanced at Jason to size him up. He could normally read people, in his business he had to, and he had to do it quickly. But he was having problems with this Jason. The man's eyes were sharp, but other then that Al couldn't get a read from him. 

He focused on the girl instead and again tried to lead her to the red convertible he knew she wanted, even though she thought she couldn't afford it. "I still think you would look great in this little honey here. Just think how jealous your girlfriends will be when you come rolling up in this beauty. And think with the convertible, it will be so easy to load those shopping bags."

Elizabeth swallowed the blazing retort to the sexist comment, and smiled instead. "I know I love this car. But it is out of my price range. I think I'll stick with this one." She leaned against a gray Volkswagen Rabbit.

"Now the difference in price between these two is nominal." At her vacant look he swallowed his glee and went on. "It's not that much sweetie. In fact the worse deal here is the Rabbit."

"But last week the price swing between the two was over $2,000." Elizabeth reminded him. That was one of the reasons she had brought Jason with her.

"No it wasn't, honey you must be remembering the Pinto on the back lot, you know the purple one you just loved." He rolled his eyes in Jason's direction then quickly looked away when Jason just met his look with a cold stare.

"No I'm going to stick with the Rabbit and the price we agreed on last week, as long as Jason here likes it. And of course if it passes the…the," she looked blankly at Jason. "What did you call it baby? The mechanics field test?"

"Now honey there's no need for that, I have the papers saying it has been checked and certified, by one of the best mechanics in the city." The mechanic happened to be his brother-in-law but that made no difference.

"I think a test drive and an inspection is definitely in order." Jason spoke for the first time he was still trying to deal with the baby Elizabeth had just called him. He could see through the lies Al was telling easily. Judging from Elizabeth's actions so could she.

"Well I hate to slow things up, I had a couple in here just an hour ago, making an offer on this one. They said they would be back soon." He looked at his watch. "If you take it out for an inspection, and they come back and make me an offer, I'll have to take them up on it. You're just going to have to trust me little lady."

Elizabeth checked her watch and made a face. 1:47 she was late. "Jason."

Jason's cell phone began to ring and Elizabeth crossed her fingers. "Morgan."

Al's eyes widened when he put the names Jason and Morgan together and came up with Jason Morgan. Cautious eyes made a new study of the man on the phone. 

Elizabeth saw him pale and stifled a giggle.

"It's for you." Jason held out the phone.

"Thanks." She took the phone. "Hello."

__

"So I'm calling like I promised and I have no idea why I am." Emily spoke quickly.

"Oh hey Em. I'm sorry I forgot to call you."

__

"You do realize we are going to have to talk."

"I had no doubt about that. Talk to you later though." Elizabeth disconnected and handed the phone back to Jason. Then turned to face Al and this time she spoke in her normal tone of voice. "So the keys and the intake papers for the inspection?"

Al's eyes slid from her to Jason who had his arms crossed over his chest and was studying the car. "I'll be right back."

Elizabeth leaned against a car. "So what do you think?"

"I think I want to know why you were acting like an idiot?"

"To get around Al." She hopped up the hood of an old Ford. "He has been jerking me around for weeks, jacking up the price, not wanting me to see any papers. I sent Nikolas here to scope him out. But Nikolas rolled up in the Jag, and the price of every car on this lot happened to jump about $2500. Then Lucky came by and Al offered him the Rabbit for $700 less then what he offered me. I just wanted to get a fair price for it."

"And how do I come in?" he leaned against the hood next to her.

"Well, I have to admit I was using you." She grinned slyly at him. "Let's face it Jason one thing you do very well is intimidate people. If you happened to intimidate Al, who was I to argue with that."

"And Emily's call?"

"Well I had a fifty-fifty shot with that one. Sometimes you answer the phone Morgan." She offered a bad imitation of him. "The other time it's yeah." That imitation made him grin. "So if you happened to say Morgan, and Al happened to recognize your name. Well there's no harm in that."

He had been used in a lot of ways, but to get a good deal on a used car was a new one. "Elizabeth are you sure about buying a car from him. Especially a used car. If it's just the money I can help you…"

"Stop." She jumped off the car and put her hands on her hips to glare at him. "I didn't ask you to come, so you would buy a car from me. I want to do this on my own. I have been saving money for just this reason for years, and I finally have enough to buy my car. Is this Rabbit," she gestured to the car. "What I really want? No. But it's what I can afford."

"I would like to help you, you helped me, you saved my life, the least I can do is get you a car." Jason argued.

"But then it would be you buying it, instead of me doing it for myself." She cried and saw the confusion in his eyes at her rant. "Give me your wallet." She snapped, holding out her hand.

He looked down at her hand then back into her eyes, which were shining in anger and pulled the wallet from his jeans and placed it in her hands.

She opened it and her eyes widened in shock at the amount of cash in it. "Jesus Jason what if you were rob…" She snorted. "Never mind." 

She pulled a crisp $100 bill from the wallet and put it on his hand. "Now this is all the money you have, and you can buy this dirt bike, for just under that $100, it will be yours free and clear." She pointed to dirt bike that was chained to the fence.

"Or Ned, will buy you a brand new not even released 2001 Harley Davidson, fully loaded with everything you could possibly want on it. Now which one would you want? The bike you could buy yourself. Or the one that could be bought for you?" She crossed her arms over her chest and waited.

Jason looked at the bike and thought it wise not to mention the couple of hundreds he had in his jean pockets. He grinned and shook his head. "I get your point."

Elizabeth smiled back at him. "I know the car isn't much, but it will be the first big purchase of my life. Even the studio wasn't totally mine at first, because for a while Gram helped me. But this," she turned back to the little car. "This one is all mine."

He bent down and peered in the window at the cracked upholstery, and the old dial radio in the dash. "If this is what you want."

She looked longingly at the red Mustang convertible. "For now it is." She leaned back against the hood and tilted her head back, the heat from the sun, felt nice on her face. "And there is another reason you're here."

Jason mimicked her pose. "What's that?"

"Well I assume since you were a bike mechanic at one point, you know something about engines. Maybe even car engines, if not, you probably know someone who does. I'm not an idiot, I do want to get the car inspected before I buy it."

"I can do that." Her eyes were still closed and he used the opportunity to study her. Her grin was wide, her cheeks were turning slightly pink because of the sun, but the color looked good on her face. She looked very relaxed and very beautiful.

"You do know what that means, don't you Jason?" She opened her eyes and turned to look at him. "That means you will be responsible for keeping my car running. If something goes wrong with it, I'll have to call you to get your expertise."

"I'll be responsible for it?" He questioned shifting closer to it. "How do you figure that?"

"It's a rule, when someone helps someone else buy a car, they have to be available if that car breaks down." She couldn't seem to stop herself from leaning against him, while she looked up into his face. "So it looks like your going to have to stay in town."

"So all of this is to get me to stay in town?" He lowered his voice, his hand moving around to rest at her back. "You could have just asked."

"I tried that once. You left anyway." Her eyes were serious and she shifted again, so she was leaning against him instead of the hood, his thigh resting between her legs. "I wanted to hedge my bets."

The wind caught her hair, and he brushed it from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "You could try asking again. You might be surprised at what I'd say this time." He slowly lowered his head down closer to her upturned face.

She matched his move by letting herself relax fully against him, except for her neck and head which she angled up closing the distance to him, meeting him halfway. She felt his breath on her face, and her eyes began to drift closed.

The shrill ring of the cell phone broke the spell and Elizabeth tensed up again. Why was it that phones seemed to ring at the absolutely worst time?

"Are you going to get that?" 

Jason's voice broke her mental cursing and she flushed when she realized it was her phone ringing and not his. "Right." She backed away and dug in her bag for the phone. "Hello … That's okay Chloe … Where? … No I can do that, I'm downtown already. Bye"

She closed the phone and nervously ran a hand through her hair, before finally putting the phone back in her bag. "I need to go."

"So I gathered." Jason felt the disappointment settle in his gut. "I'll talk with Al and get the car checked out, then I'll meet you later."

"Okay." She was nervous all over again. "It's a date." Her eyes went wide. "I mean, it's not a date, it's just that's a plan." She began backing away. "That's right. I'm planning on seeing you later." She turned away. "Bye Jason."

"Elizabeth wait." Jason closed the distance between them, when she stopped but didn't turn around. "You're key."

She opened her eyes in surprise, she hadn't expected him to say that. She turned around and reached for the key he had in his hand. Her fingers brushed his, and she couldn't help but feel a jolt of electricity at the contact. "Thanks." Her voice was a lot huskier then usual.

"I think I should thank you for letting me do this for you." He pulled another set of keys from his pocket. "I made you a spare."

She glanced down at the keys in his hand, and before she even thought about it, words were flying out of her mouth. "Keep them, you'll never know when you need a safe place to get away from it all." A hint of surprise crossed Jason's features and she hurriedly started moving again. "I need to go. I'll see you later."

"Elizabeth." Again he called after her stilling her flight.

God she really needed to leave before she embarrassed herself even worse. "Yeah?"

"You have something of mine." His voice came from directly behind her and she felt his breath on her neck. "And I'm going to need it back."

She nervously licked her lips. "W-what?"

He turned her to face him. "My wallet."

She blinked in surprise then smiled in relief, before digging in her bag for his wallet. "I wasn't trying to steal it."

"Mm-hmm." He held out his hand.

"I wasn't." She slapped the wallet in his hand. "I just forgot." She saw Al walking towards them, and heard her Lizzie voice screaming in her ear and decided to go for it. She stood on tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. 

His mouth parted in surprise, his lips, warm, soft and experienced. Before he had a chance to deepen the kiss or pull her closer, she pulled back and stepped away. "Bye sweetie." She said loudly before hurrying away.

Jason watched her run to catch a bus at the corner, and shook his head. Things were moving between the two of them. He wasn't sure where exactly but they were definitely moving.

"So did the sweet thing have to leave?"

"Her name is Elizabeth and if you can't remember that, I suggest you don't call her anything at all." Jason ordered without turning around.

The sweat began to roll off of Al's brow at those words. "Of course I didn't mean anything by it." 

Jason turned around, his eyes coolly assessing the man in front of him. "I assume those are the papers?"

"Yes." Al held them out nervously. A quick phone call to his brother had confirmed that this was in fact The Jason Morgan. He couldn't help be a little nervous being around him.

"Good." Jason took them from him. "This is a good start. But you know what I'm going to need from you Al? I want your original intake forms from when you bought the car, and your records of all the work you did on it."

"Now those are private materials I don't let anyone see those."

Jason just looked at him and waited.

"Of course I'll go get them." Al began backing to the office.

"Al everything better be on there. I'd hate for my mechanic to find something that isn't." Jason called after him.

Al swallowed hard. Who knew that sweet little thing would be the end of him?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

__

Want more??? Than let me hear from you.


	10. Complications, Evasions, and Messes

****

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 10

****

~Port Charles Hotel: Penthouse~

"Yes I'm aware of that." V Ardnowski spoke into the phone being careful to keep all emotion from her voice. It wouldn't be kosher to appear too eager, especially given the circumstances.

__

"You can understand my haste in wanting results. It has been over 6 weeks now, and we've still heard nothing."

"In cases like this, it takes a lot of time to chase down all the leads." V drummed her fingers on the desk. Her inherent need to be honest was warring with her desire for the job, and as usual honesty won out. "I can assure you ma'am that the police have spent countless man hours chasing down leads. No lead would have been considered too small to investigate."

There was silence on the other end of the line and V wondered if her loyalty to the police force had cost her the job, before she even had a chance to start it. She closed her eyes and began to hit her forehead on the desk quietly, but quite painfully.

__

"Your desire to stick up for your former employers even after the way you left the PCPD further convinces me that I've made the right choice in hiring you."

V sat up in surprise and a smile danced across her features causing them to light. She strove to sound serious when she spoke. "You won't be disappointed." Her honestly kicked in again. "Ms. Wyatt I can't promise you the results you so desperately want, but I can promise to give you everything I can."

__

"I know you will V, and please call me Lisa."

V got up from the desk and opened the door waving Alexis in the room before turning her attention back to the phone. "Okay Lisa I'll get started immediately and will update you weekly on what I find."

__

"Good I've transferred your retainer and first weeks expenses into your account." Lisa paused. "V I need you to know how serious this is."

Smile gone V's voice was just as serious. "Believe me Lisa as a former police officer, I know exactly how important this is."

__

"Thank you."

V's frown stayed on her face for a moment longer while she hung up the phone. With a sigh she turned, her eye fell on the curious face of her best friend, and she let out a yell. "I did it Alexis."

"Did what?" Alexis winced slightly at the bone-jarring hug V was giving her.

"That new job I was telling you about, it came through." Too excited to sit V paced around the sofa first one and then the other, and then kept moving.

"V you're going to need to back up I got called away before you finished telling me what was going on." Alexis reminded her.

"Oh that's right." V turned away from the window and ran a hand through her hair.

Alexis couldn't help but feel envious when the hair plopped back into place right where it had been before V had ruffled it. If she tried that she would end up looking like she had a birds nest on her head. She blinked the thought away and forced herself to concentrate on what V was saying.

"So because of that I knew I couldn't go back to the force, and I also knew I didn't want to be a personal assistant." V made a face and dropped down on one of the couches. "L&B was fun but it didn't give me the kind of challenge that I crave. So this was the only alternative as I saw it."

"What was?" Alexis took a seat facing the tall redhead.

"My own security firm, specializing in consulting work, private investigations, bounty hunting, kind of like your one stop security store." V's eyes were shining when she went on. "I've always toyed at designing security systems, now it will be more then just a hobby, I'll be able to make my living from it."

"That sounds great." Alexis' first response was to be happy for her friend. She knew how unhappy V had been when she wasn't working, but then the lawyer side of her kicked in again. "Not to be negative, but where are you going to find the funding to open your own company?"

"Remember the money I gave to Jax when he was trying to win back his fortune?" V asked.

Alexis nodded.

"Well he insisted on paying me back with interest several times over. So I have enough to start my own company." V couldn't help but smile again. She had barely let herself dream of owning her own company. The practical side of her normally won out, and ended the dreams before they started. But this time it was no dream, it was real, and whether she lasted or not, she was going to go for it.

"It sounds like you've given this some thought."

"Oh I have believe me, I first started the paperwork and got certified not long after I left the PCPD, before I went to L&B. I took the last of the tests before I went to Alaska, and I got all the paperwork back yesterday. You should have seen Taggert's face when I went in to file my licenses with the police department." Her laughter rang out and was so infectious that Alexis joined in. "He looked at me like I was nuts and then started in on me about coming back to the station, anything but going private. Most cops consider privates as only slightly above lawyers on the food chain."

"Charming." Alexis murmured.

"Yeah well you haven't heard the best part." V leaned closer so enraptured in her news she failed to notice the penthouse door opening. "I already have my first case."

"Well don't keep me in suspense."

"I've been hired to find out where Ted Wilson is, and if he's dead bring his killers to justice."

"Over my dead body." Jax announced his presence with a slam of the door.

****

~Kelly's~

"Stop it Nikolas." Emily said on a gasp, she had laughed so hard her sides were aching. "You have to be making that up."

"I'm not." Nikolas protested with a grin of his own. "Stefan's pants split down the seam the instant he bowed to the Countess."

"Oh God," she brushed the tears from her eyes. "What did he do?"

"Well I have never seen my uncle move backwards that fast before." Nikolas shook his head at the fond memory. It felt good remembering the good times he'd had with his uncle, especially now. 

As if a cloud had covered the sun, Nikolas' smile faded and his good mood evaporated. It was hard for him to believe that his uncle might be dead.

Emily sensed the change in him and immediately stopped laughing, she covered his hand to offer comfort. "Has there been any news?"

"No." He admitted with a sigh of frustration. "Everyone believes that he is dead, even the investigators that I've hired have found no trace of him. When Mac arrested Luke for his murder, most people stopped looking for him."

"But Luke was only arrested for a couple of hours before Felicia came forward and cleared him. Why wouldn't the police keep looking?"

"I don't know. I know Mac went after Luke because of a personal grudge, but once he did that, it was like the police agreed that Stefan is dead. That he's lying dead somewhere and they just haven't found him yet." Nikolas rubbed wearily at the knot of tension at the back of his neck. That knot seemed to form every time he thought about his uncle.

"I'm sorry Nikolas. You've been so busy trying to help me with my problems, when all these questions about your uncle must be ripping you up." Emily flushed guiltily.

"Don't," his hand tightened on hers and his voice was sharp cutting off her recriminations. "You are my friend and there is no place that I would rather be then here helping you. In fact it's nice to focus on this instead of Stefan at times."

"That's what Lucky said." Emily spoke without thinking.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh," she looked startled for a minute then went on. "I went to tell Jason what was going on yesterday and Lucky caught me. He said he needed to do this, that the only time he felt normal was when he was helping me."

Nikolas leaned over the table and lowered his voice. "I thought we decided not to tell Jason."

"I know what we decided, but I also know my brother." Emily explained wearily, she wasn't really up for another fight about her brother. "I know you don't like him, but you have to admit he can make this whole problem disappear. I'm tired of having this hanging over my head, over everybody's heads. It's even harder now that Jason is in town, because he knows something is going on, and all he wants to do is help, no questions asked." She glanced down at her purse. "But instead of talking to my brother I'm avoiding him and his calls, all because I want to help Lucky."

Nikolas could see the truth in her words and made an effort to battle back the anger he always felt at the mention of Jason's name. Emily was right he didn't like her brother and probably never would. But she was also right when she said Jason could make their problem disappear. "Is that why you decided not to tell Jason, because Lucky asked you not too?"

Emily studied her hands and absently noted that her polish was beginning to chip. "Yes, Lucky doesn't feel like he can control anything in his life. If I went to Jason for help, instead of relying on Lucky, I don't think he would be able to handle that rejection."

"Is he that close to the edg…" Nikolas trailed off when he spotted the bruises on her arms and answered his own question. "Then that's another reason for me to talk to him as soon as possible."

"What about telling Jason?" She focused on him again.

He met her eyes reluctantly. He really didn't want to work with Jason, but it might be their only choice. In the end the only important thing was ending this nightmare for everyone involved. "I guess…"

"Emily I'm glad I found you." Juan's voice cut Nikolas off and Juan took the seat next to Emily.

Nikolas couldn't help but grimace at the boy. What Emily ever saw in Juan was beyond him. Juan was a walking, always talking, loudmouth who seemed to think the more people he could make angry, would make him a bigger man. Nikolas always wanted to tell him that all it did was make him look like that much more of an idiot.

Emily couldn't help but sigh and tense when Juan moved his chair closer to her. Lately it seemed like being around Juan, took more energy then she had. If she were honest with herself she would have to admit that their problems had started long before the rave. "Juan what are you doing here?"

Juan frowned at her less then enthusiastic response to his presence. Then turned his eyes on a disapproving Nikolas, no doubt this was his influence. "I found out some stuff about the rave."

Disapproval turned to interest. "What?" Nikolas asked.

"It's set for tomorrow night, but no one seems to know where. They're trying to keep it quiet so it won't get busted and only a few people know in advance. Allison isn't one of those people."

Emily couldn't help the little flash of anger she felt when she heard Allison's name. A part of her blamed the chipmunk voiced blonde for getting her into this mess. But then again if Juan hadn't kissed Allison in the first place she never would have started drinking that night.

"We need to know as soon as possible." Nikolas was saying. "We will need time to get everything set up. You need to find out where it is Juan."

"I don't see you doing much to help, except for sitting on your ass that is." Always quick to fight Juan fired back hotly.

"Please don't." Emily spoke quickly trying to stop the fight, her dark eyes pleaded with Nikolas.

Nikolas bit back his retort and took a breath before trying again. "I'm just saying that we need the information as soon as we can get it Juan. We will need time to move the bod…" He trailed off and focused on the man behind Juan. "Lieutenant Taggert."

Emily jerked at the mention of his name and her knee hit the table leg jostling their drinks. Nikolas gave her a warning look and she tried to calm down.

"Nikolas." Taggert nodded at him while dropping his hand on Juan's shoulder. "Have you forgotten what your supposed to do today?"

"No." Juan put a cocky smile on his face and tried to bluff.

Taggert just shook his head. "You need to clean the apartment today."

"Right, I'll get right on that." Juan agreed immediately trying to get rid of him.

Little warning bells went off at Juan's easy acquiescence. Normally he had to browbeat Juan into doing anything, before he could pursue it though Tammy called to him from the counter.

"Taggert your order's ready."

"Thanks." Taggert took another look at the people at the table. Something had been going on with Juan for weeks now but he hadn't been able to find out what. He had a feeling it was more then just the breakup with Emily. "See you later then." He said finally before touching Emily's shoulder. "Emily."

"Goodbye Lieutenant." Emily tried for breezy but her voice came out stilted.

"That was close." Nikolas groaned in relief when Taggert headed for the counter.

"Too close." Emily agreed.

"Let's get out of here." Nikolas suggested and Emily began to gather her stuff.

"Emily can I talk to you?" Juan lowered his voice. He hated to grovel, especially in front of other people, but he knew he was losing her. "Please."

"I don't want to fight."

"Neither do I." Juan took a chance and touched her hand. "Please Em."

Nikolas watched the indecision move over her face and smothered another groan. Here was a guy who was supposed to be in love with her and he hadn't even noticed the bruises on her arms. Say no Emily. Cut him out of your life once and for all. He willed the courage to her, but wasn't surprised by her reply.

Emily dropped reluctantly back in her chair. "Okay."

Nikolas put some money on the table. "I'll just go and talk to Lucky."

"Be care…" She trailed off not wanting to give anything away to Juan and also in surprise because her first instinct was that Lucky might react irrationally. "See you later?"

"Yes." Nikolas nodded at her, ignored Juan entirely and headed out the door.

Nikolas stepped out into the deserted courtyard and took a deep breath, trying to dispel the last of the irritation that Juan brought out in him. Unfortunately all he could smell was the fish being offloaded on the nearby docks. He turned and headed for his car.

"Nikolas wait."

He scrubbed a hand over his eyes, this day just kept getting better and better. He turned around slowly. "Hello Gia."

Gia couldn't help but notice his cool response and that irked her. She knew she wasn't perfect but she was getting tired of always being hated on sight. "Don't sound so thrilled to see me."

Nikolas smiled slightly as he studied the girl in front of him. As was her norm she was dressed in the height of fashion with her pencil thin dark skirt and her boots that went over her calf. He felt a reluctant attraction to her as he studied her. "What did you need?"

"You know you could treat me a little nicer. I am putting myself on the line here just like the rest of you." She put her hands on her hips, stretching the tight white shirt over her chest and glared at him.

There went the attraction, he hid a grin at that realization. He was attracted until she opened her mouth and out came something that Juan would say. "And you are being well compensated for your risks Gia."

Gia smiled reluctantly, he was the only one who seemed to have an answer for everything she tossed at him. "Are you placing a price on my life?"

"No you do that yourself." He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her next jab.

"And you pay it." She taunted.

"Gia as fascinating as this is, I do have places to be, so is there a point to this?"

Gia stepped closer to him, she had spent a worrisome couple of hours after her run-in with Zander, trying to decide what to do. In the end she knew she had to let the others know that Zander was very interested in Elizabeth and that he seemed to recognize this Jason, no one wanted her to meet. She was dreading having to talk to Elizabeth. The girl with her superior attitude was enough to make her gag. When she spotted Nikolas she knew she had an out. Of all the people she was now tied up with he was the only one she even remotely liked.

"Gia is there a point?"

Nikolas' question drew her out of her reverie, of course he was still a pain. "Yes I needed to tell you that…" she trailed off and her eyes went wide.

"What's wrong?"

Gia didn't even try to answer, moving quickly she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth down to hers.

Nikolas' eyes widened in surprise but he moved willingly enough when she turned his body, so he was leaning against her and pressing her against the building. He was vaguely aware of the door opening beside them and someone walking out of the building.

Gia kept her eyes open and watched Taggert walk away before closing her eyes and letting the kiss continue. He sure did know how to kiss.

He pulled back after another minute and grinned at her. "You seem to do that an awful lot."

Gia pushed him away from her. "Like you're complaining."

"I was raised not to fight with women, so if you feel the need to maul me every now and then…"

"Maul you?" Gia was outraged.

"Yes maul. This is the third time you've wrapped yourself around me out of the blue, when I have done nothing to encourage you." He couldn't help but tease, the anger shooting out of her dark eyes amused him.

"Encourage?" For a second Gia could only gasp in anger. "Listen to me Princey, I hate to burst your delusions of grandeur, but you have been into me ever since we met."

"Really?" Nikolas' eyes raked over her. "Then why are you always the one that kisses me, while I'm always the one who walks away?" He shot her another grin and then left the courtyard before she had time to reply.

****

~Penthouse~

V shot off the couch like someone was shooting at her. "Jax I didn't hear you come in."

"Apparently not." He moved further into the room, taking time to nod at Alexis before focusing on the woman in his life. "Were you even going to tell me about this?"

"Of course I was," V flushed guiltily. "It's just everything sort of fell together today, and I haven't seen you yet to tell you."

"Come on now V, I know you, you don't just leap into things. You must have been thinking about this for a while now. What I want to know is why didn't you tell me?" He turned to look at Alexis who was doing her best to blend into the couch. "Did you know what she was planning?"

Alexis looked up at him and answered diplomatically. "I know she's been unhappy being unemployed."

"That's obvious Alexis," he snapped. "The question is did you know what she was going to do about her boredom? That she was going to be a private investigator?"

"I prefer security specialist." V chimed in.

"And what is so special about tracking down a cop that is more then likely dead?" Jax turned on her.

"You know I think I should probably be going." Alexis interjected, before things got really ugly.

"Don't you see that because he is a cop this case is so much more special?" V shot back. "It could have been anyone of us."

"You're not a cop anymore V."

"My look at the time I'm going to be late for Court." Alexis tried again, but was still ignored.

"I know that." The hurt flashed in V's eyes. "You're the reason I'm not."

Jax saw the hurt and the anger evaporated, but the fear remained. "I know and I'm sorry about that. I never wanted you to quit because of me."

"I didn't quit because of you." Incensed that she had let that slip out, she tried to backtrack. "I quit because of the way the department handled things. Their treatment of you was just the final straw."

"So I'll be going." Alexis got to her feet and slung her purse over her shoulder.

"Wait Alexis." Jax's voice stopped her before she took a step. "Talk to her, reason with her."

"Jax I'm a lawyer, who says I know how to reason?" Alexis tried to joke. She knew better then to be drawn into personal fights.

"Alexis tell him that this what I'm trained for." V glared at him.

"Well you see…"

"You're trained to work within the rules and with a partner, not to go out alone." Jax interrupted.

There was a knock on the door but Alexis was the only one who seemed to notice.

"Jax you make it sound like I'm going to be walking into hell, without a hope for survival."

"I'll just get that." Alexis moved to the door. "Elizabeth," she cried in relief and pulled her into the room.

"Alexis hi, I needed to get a signature from Jax, is he here?" Elizabeth held up a manila envelope.

"V you know as well as I do, that the reason that no one has found Ted Wilson is because he was taken out by the mob." Jax yelled.

Elizabeth dropped the envelope on the floor, spilling the papers, she quickly crouched down and began to pick them up. Why were they talking about Ted Wilson?

"We don't know that for sure Jax." V argued. "I've been hired to find out where he is, and if he is dead to bring his killers to justice."

Elizabeth gasped then managed a weak smile for Alexis who was helping her gather her papers.

"What else could it be V?" Jax moved closer and took her hand. "Wilson was working undercover at the raves trying to track the drug flow into the city. The only people who run drugs in Port Charles are either in Sorel's or Corinthos' mob family. So one of those two had him killed."

"But we don't know that for sure, it could have been some junkie, for all we know." V pleaded with him to understand. "Don't you see that the not knowing what happened is worse then knowing that he's dead? Right now Ted Wilson's family and friends are going crazy because they don't know. Did you know that he was getting married in October?" She demanded. "His fiancée is so worried that she's the one who hired me, she can't move on with her life until she knows what happened to him."

"And don't you see that I don't want to lose you?" Jax kept hold of her hand when she tried to pull away. "If you investigate this, you're more then likely going to be investigating the mob. They don't like that. When you were a cop it afforded you some protection, but you're not a cop anymore. And it seems like they wouldn't care even if you were, someone has killed once, and they're not above doing it again. You will be all alone in this."

Elizabeth was feeling extremely guilty, she had purposefully focused on Emily and what would happen to her if people found out about Ted. She hadn't allowed herself to think about what Ted Wilson's family was going through. Now that V had spelled it out for her, she felt even worse. She got slowly to her feet and put the papers back in order.

"Jax I'll be careful. You know that."

"I know how determined and tenacious you can be." Jax corrected. "That's what scares me, you won't quit until you find him, and whoever killed him."

Elizabeth gulped.

"Are you okay Elizabeth?" Alexis touched her arm in concern when she saw the girl's paleness.

"Maybe I should go, this seems to be a bad time."

A shrill whistle startled three of the occupants in the room, and they looked at the fourth in surprise. 

"Alright now that I have your attention," Alexis smoothed her skirt down and ignored the surprised looks she was getting. "Elizabeth here needs a moment of your time Jax, and I really need to be going, so go to your neutral corners until we leave."

"Sorry Elizabeth." Jax took a breath and crossed over to her with a smile on his face.

Elizabeth couldn't help but blink at the metamorphosis. "No problem, Chloe needs your signature on these contracts right away."

"Chloe," V snorted and stalked over to the window. Now they couldn't even have an argument without having the perfect little blonde's name show up in it.

Jax looked warily at V, who seemed to be even madder, before taking the papers from Elizabeth.

"If you need to read them, I can come back." Elizabeth offered, she really wanted to get out of here.

"No I trust Chloe."

That time V's snort was audible to the whole room.

"Thanks for bringing these by Elizabeth," Jax signed his name with a flourish, before heading for the door. "How are things going with Lucky? I bet your glad to have your boyfriend back."

"Well…" She trailed off and headed out the door.

Alexis paused in the doorway. "Tread lightly Jax, if you try to control her, you'll lose her." She kissed his cheek and then followed Elizabeth to the elevator.

Jax closed the door and turned to face V who was glaring at him from behind the couch. The setting sun was drifting through the window behind her, and set off her hair like a blazing sunset. Judging from the expression on her face, blazing was an apt description. "Where were we?"

"We were just about to say that if you can trust Chloe and you can't trust me, then maybe Chloe should be the one you date and not me." V fired back hotly.

****

~Elevator~

Elizabeth was doing her best not to think of the implications of V looking for Ted Wilson, when the elevator suddenly lurched to a halt, catching her off guard and nearly sending her to her knees. 

Alexis gripped the handrail to remain upright. "What was that?"

"I think were stuck." Elizabeth admitted after hitting a button on the control panel and nothing happened.

"This day just keeps getting better," Alexis murmured reaching past her and opening the little door exposing the phone.

****

~Kelly's~

"So what did you want to talk about?" Emily asked after a few minutes of silence.

"About you and me." Juan admitted.

"There is no you and me," Emily corrected studying her hands again. "We broke up remember."

"But I still love you, and I know you still love me." Juan pressed for a response. "I know I messed up, but you have to know I love you."

She began to flick off some of the polish on her nails, anything so she didn't have to look him in the eye. "I don't know if we can go back, too much has happened."

"Don't say that." He took her hand, forcing her to look at him. "Do you still love me?"

She forced herself to study the face of the man she once thought she was in love with. Did she still love him? The answer to that was easy for her, no. Did she ever love him? That was the answer that was hard for her to bear, because it meant that most of the last year had been a lie. 

"Emily?"

"No." She didn't mean to say it aloud, but out it slipped.

Juan jerked back like she had slapped him. "You don't mean that. It's your friends you've been listening to what they have to say about me."

"No Juan," Emily shook her head sadly, now that the words were out she wasn't going to backtrack. "I'm sorry but I don't love you, and we won't get back together."

Juan blinked hard at the tears in his eyes, forcing them back. "I see what brought this on, it's Nikolas isn't it. You'd rather hang on to your crush on him then move on in a real relationship."

Stung Emily could only stare at him.

"I hope you and your fantasy life are happy, because that is all it will ever be, a schoolgirl fantasy." Juan's parting words were cruel and he stormed from the diner.

Emily felt eyes on her and got slowly to her feet and walked outside, away from the curious onlookers. She didn't make it far, collapsing wearily onto a chair at one of the outside tables. She hadn't meant to hurt Juan, she had only just realized that she didn't love him. Once she knew that she couldn't pretend she did. But Juan had been wrong when he accused her of having a crush on Nikolas. She had learned to be smarter then that. But his words still hurt. The tears pricked the back of her eyes and knowing better then to think she could hold them back she hid her face in her hands and let them come.

"What's wrong Emily?" 

The concerned voice forced her to look up at her brother through tear filled eyes. "It's just – I mean I can't – it's that he…"

Jason crouched beside her chair and pulled her head to his shoulder. "Just let it out."

****

~Elevator~

"I'm afraid that we're going to be here for awhile." Alexis announced when she hung up the phone. "Apparently a generator blew."

"Peachy." Elizabeth leaned back against the wall. "Have you ever had one of those days that has these moments of bliss in it, and then the next minute it totally sucks?"

"Frequently." Alexis smiled and shrugged out of her suit jacket. She had a feeling that the car was going to warm up. She studied Elizabeth's face. "Are you okay? I know that conversation in the penthouse must have upset you."

Elizabeth's eyes flew open, what did she mean? Oh god did Alexis know about Ted? Had she found the body? "W-what?"

"When Jax asked about you and Lucky." Alexis was busy folding her jacket so she missed Elizabeth's sag of relief. "He was trying to be charming when he asked that. Trying to show you that he knew something more about you then just your name."

"That's okay." Elizabeth slid down the wall to sit on the floor. "I'm getting used to it."

"Well in his defense, he can be a bit dense at times. He's full of charm and big gestures, but sometimes he misses the low key moments." She shook her head, he had better learn to see them, or he was going to lose V. "After all we are talking about a man, who didn't realize he was in love with someone until she tried to leave the country with another man."

"I know he didn't mean anything. But I get tired of hearing it. I'm not even with Lucky anymore and people still ask me about him all the time, or even call me Lucky's girlfriend." She sighed heavily. "You know what I can't remember is if it was always like that. If Lucky's girlfriend was all I ever was. I don't think it was, I think back then even when I was dating Lucky I was still Elizabeth. Or if it was, I guess I didn't notice it," she shrugged. "I guess you change from 16 to almost 19."

"I imagine you do." Alexis joined her on the floor.

"It's like I don't have an identity outside of being defined by someone else. First I was Jeff and Claire's daughter, Sarah's sister, Audrey's other granddaughter, Lucky's girlfriend, the girl who lost Lucky, the girl waiting for Lucky. No one seems to just see me for me." She frowned well a few people did, Jason of course, and Sonny seemed too.

"I can understand that." Alexis admitted, being called Eddie's Angel or the next Mrs. Ashton was a fear that she lived with daily. She liked just being known as Alexis Davis. "I hate to be defined by other people."

"I doubt you let that happen to you." Elizabeth commented. "I seem to have a problem sticking up for myself, in certain situations."

Alexis thought about Ned and her inability to voice her fears over the wedding to him. "Everybody has someone that they can't talk too."

"I guess, the reverse is true for me as well. I have someone in my life I can talk to about anything, it just doesn't happen to be the person that everybody thinks it should be." Elizabeth didn't know why she was talking about this, and with Alexis of all people. But she felt comfortable with her, even though they hadn't discussed their personal lives before.

"It's always a relief to have someone you can be yourself with," Alexis agreed. "For the longest time I didn't have someone like that, now that I do I can't imagine my life without him in it."

"I know it's special," Elizabeth frowned. "But what happens when that person is part of the problem you find yourself in?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, I'm so confused, and the person I normally would talk too about what is confusing me, is the person who is making me confused so I can't. No one else would understand, or they would be upset because I was thinking about someone besides Lucky. And all I seem to do is get more and more confused, when I try to figure things out on my own."

Alexis followed the dizzying ramble easily enough. "So Jason is confusing you?"

Elizabeth looked over at her in surprise. "How do you know that?"

"I've seen you two together, I know that you're close."

"We are, he's my friend." Elizabeth said defensively.

"Elizabeth I'm not judging you, I'm just listening to you. I'm glad Jason's your friend and he's yours, he's a good man." Alexis said honestly, a man who had led her to her own best friend.

Elizabeth tried to relax but it was hard. "Everyone else seems to want to judge him, and my friendship with him. They love to tell me what to do, and who to do it with. They don't seem to hear me when I say something they don't want to hear. They don't seem to realize that it is my choice, who I want to spend time with and not theirs."

"That can be frustrating," Alexis stretched her legs out on the floor. 

"It is, they feel free to stop me on the street and tell me how I need to be with Lucky. Like if they tell me something I will do it, and everyone seems to want me to be with Lucky."

"The reverse is true for me and Ned. Almost no one in his family or mine wants us to be together. In fact Edward has tried to buy me off on more then one occasion. And we won't go into what Helena has threatened Ned with. The only ones who seem to support us are some of our closest friends." The friends they had in common, the ones that seemed to want what was best for them as a couple instead of as individuals. She frowned at that thought, they meant well, but it was suffocating at times.

"My closest friends seem to only see me with Lucky, well except for Jason." Elizabeth sighed, "and that's where the problem comes in."

"It's funny how men have that ability to create problems." Her own mind began to replay the conversation she'd had with Sonny a few hours ago.

"He's only been back in town a few days, and everything has changed. Contrary to what people thought, he was just my friend last winter, I was helping him out of a jamb, there was nothing romantic going on."

"Then?" Alexis raised an eyebrow in question.

"What?" Elizabeth asked.

"There was nothing romantic going on then, is there now?"

"I don't know, that's the part that has me so confused." She wrapped her arms around her knees and tried to think about it. "Since he's been back, all these new feelings are waking up inside of me. But I don't see where they are coming from because we have always only been friends."

Alexis remembered when Sonny had touched her wrist earlier, it felt like his touch was seeping through her skin and into her blood. "Has anything happened between you two?" She tried to focus on Elizabeth's problem.

"Well we kissed." She admitted quietly.

"So where is the confusion?"

"Both times I kissed him, and I caught him by surprise both times. What if he doesn't feel the same way about me? What if he was just being nice by kissing me back? What if he is totally embarrassed because his little sister's best friend suddenly has a raging crush on him? What if he tells me that nothing will ever happen between us because he doesn't like me that way? What if he doesn't want to be my friend anymore, because I kept coming on to him? What if…"

"What if you take a breath?" Alexis interrupted Elizabeth's listing, she couldn't help but smile at the reversal. For once she was telling someone else to breathe.

Elizabeth sucked in a few hard breaths. "I don't want to lose him, I don't think I can handle that."

"I saw him yesterday morning when he dropped you off. I don't think you're going to lose him Elizabeth." Alexis tried to reassure her.

"I hope not, he's always been my friend, and I hope he always will be."

"I know he cares about you. I overheard him yesterday talking with Johnny about a door."

"He bought me a door." Elizabeth explained with a smile.

"Johnny kept telling him that he had tried to get you a new door several times, and you always refused, but Jason didn't listen to him, he said you needed one, and he was going to get you one."

"Johnny didn't explain it like Jason did." Elizabeth explained simply.

Alexis shook her head. "Anyway it is evident how much he cares about you."

"I know he cares, and that were friends. It's these new feelings that I get when I'm around him that make me unsure. I mean he's older and more experienced then me, he might not be feeling the same things I am."

"So what if he's older, my first love was older then me, and I thank god for that. He is one of the few memories of past loves that I actually cherish." Alexis saw the interest flash in Elizabeth's eyes and hurried on. "You can tell if someone is interested in you. Did he kiss you back? Yes. Did he ever try to kiss you?"

Elizabeth thought back to that first night she had seen him when they were on the couch. His hand was pulling her head towards his mouth, like he was going to kiss her, until the phone had rung.

"I can see by your face that he has."

"But what if I'm misreading things and I wreck the friendship? I need him too much to risk that." That was the truth of the matter, she didn't want to lose him.

Alexis flashed back to the night before in her doorway when it seemed like Sonny was going to kiss her, and she had realized that she wanted him too. If she had kissed him, would it have killed their friendship?

"He is so special that in some ways I can tell him anything." Elizabeth explained. "I don't want to lose that."

Alexis thought back to all the discussions she'd had with Sonny. "Maybe you're afraid of what would happen if he said he wanted more from you then friendship. Not if he said he didn't want more." She murmured quietly more to herself then to Elizabeth.

__

"Maybe he is here, and you just haven't realized it yet." Sonny's words rang in her ears.

"Maybe," Elizabeth conceded. "The things he makes me feel are a little scary. He touches my hand and my insides melt."

Alexis had thought she was immune to feeling butterflies until recently when she was around Sonny.

"But then there are moments when he's just Jason, my friend Jason, and I think I must be imagining things." Elizabeth noticed how Alexis' eyes had drifted off and decided to change the subject. "What about you?"

Alexis jolted. "What about me?"

"I've seen you. You change the subject if anyone mentions the wedding. You've postponed being fitted for your dress 8 times now. I've watched your eyes glaze over and you just nod at Ned when he starts talking about it."

"You see that?" Alexis was surprised she had thought she'd kept her feelings hidden. No one else besides Sonny seemed to have noticed her less then thrilled response to wedding plans.

"Maybe I see it because I pretend so much myself that I can recognize it when others do it." Elizabeth explained then worried she might have gone to far. "I'm sorry if I have overstepped."

"You haven't." Alexis sighed a little in relief, she felt comfortable talking to the younger woman. And it seemed like they were in the same boat. "Let's you and I make a pact." She turned to face Elizabeth. "You and I can tell each other anything, and all the other person has to do is just listen. We won't tell you what you think the other person wants to hear, or what you want for them. We will just be totally honest with each other, with no ulterior motives."

"That sounds good." The more Elizabeth thought about it the more she liked it. "So when everything starts going haywire in my life I can come to you?"

"And I'll come to you." V and Chloe were the best girlfriends she'd ever had, but they were also friends of Ned. That meant she couldn't really talk about her doubts with them. They also were so focused on what was best for her. That sometimes they didn't listen to her. She had a feeling that Elizabeth might be different.

"I like this idea." Elizabeth murmured. "So what you didn't say during my whole complaint about Jason, is that Sonny is to you what Jason is to me. A friend who keeps slipping into something more, and the thought of that is terrifying."

"Observant little thing aren't you." Alexis snapped embarrassed that it had been obvious.

Elizabeth nodded and grinned cheekily at her. "Give me your phone."

"Why?" Alexis began to dig in her purse for her phone.

"I have a feeling you are going to be calling before too long." Elizabeth took the phone and began to try to figure out how to program her number in the memory.

"I think you will have the same problem." Alexis picked up Elizabeth's phone, to do the same. "After all you seem to have the pressure of everyone in town telling you how you need to be with Lucky."

"And you have issues with Ned, and not to mention you have to deal with Carly on almost a daily basis."

Alexis frowned and got to her feet. Carly was another reason why she shouldn't be thinking of Sonny as anything more then a friend. "I think you need to talk to Jason, at least that way you'll know for sure."

Elizabeth got to her feet as well. "But what if I find out he doesn't want to be with me like that?"

"Then at least you'll know one way or the other. Another thing you seem to have figured out, is regardless of what happens with Jason, Lucky is out of the picture."

Elizabeth was quiet. Did she really know that? She still didn't know how she was supposed to deal with the fact that Lucky had just stopped loving her, for no reason at all. She decided to move along. "What about you? Are you going to talk to Sonny?" 

The elevator gave a sudden lurch causing both women to stumble, before it started moving again. Elizabeth bent down and retrieved one of the phones that were on the floor.

Alexis picked up her briefcase and jacket. "It's been nice talking to you Elizabeth. I hope we do it again soon." That was her way of avoiding Elizabeth's question.

"Yeah but next time let's pick a place with a little more room." Elizabeth smiled and followed Alexis off the elevator when it finally opened.

****

~Docks~

"Sonny wait up." Elizabeth hurried down the docks when she recognized who was ahead of her.

Sonny and Johnny turned around at her call and waited for her to join them. "Hello Elizabeth."

"Hey." She said a little breathlessly she had been running since the bus stop a few blocks away. She couldn't wait to get a car. "I was hoping I would catch you."

"Well you got me." Sonny said with a grin. "We're you looking for Jason? Because I haven't seen him."

"No I'll see him later, actually I was looking for you." She grinned suddenly. "Hey with him back in town we don't have to talk in code around Carly anymore."

Sonny smirked. "I kind of liked that."

Johnny looked at them with confusion on his face.

"If I mentioned Jason around Carly it would set her off," Elizabeth explained. "So we made up this little code, every time he would come into the diner I would ask him if he'd been swimming lately. If he said no, I knew Jason was alright."

Johnny shook his head trying to disguise the smile.

"Go ahead and laugh O'Brien." Sonny warned him. "It kept Carly off my back."

"If you say so boss." Johnny agreed then stepped back to give them some privacy.

"I made up the code not him." Elizabeth explained.

"I hoped so." Johnny commented with a wry grin.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "He's such a snob at times."

"I know." Sonny agreed. "So what did you need?"

"There's something I need to know did you tell Jason about Sorel bothering me?"

Instantly serious Sonny stepped closer. "Is Sorel bothering you again?"

"No I haven't even seen him since last winter." Elizabeth spoke quickly. "I just wondered if Jason knew about when Sorel did bother me, and about Francis guarding me for awhile."

"No I never told him." Sonny sighed in relief. He was glad that Sorel was staying away from her.

"Good can you not tell him?" She saw the surprise in his face and hurried to explain. "Its just one time before he tried to stop seeing me, to try to protect me from Sorel. I'm afraid he might do it again, if he knows Sorel did come after me."

"Elizabeth I don't know, I really don't keep things from Jason."

"I know I'm not asking you to lie, but can you just not volunteer?" She asked. She had decided to take Alexis advice and talk to Jason about his feelings for her, but she wanted to make sure there weren't any obstacles when she did.

He saw the hopeful look in her eyes and couldn't refuse. "I won't bring it up."

"Good." She sagged in relief. "I doubt he'll mention it, I mean if he hasn't asked you before why would he now? He's home now so there's no need for him to question you about me anymore. He can just ask me directly." 

"He never asked me about you." Sonny said without thinking.

"Oh." Elizabeth sucked in a breath and brought the pain with it. "I see."

Sonny saw the hurt in her eyes and began to curse himself. "Elizabeth let me explain."

"No it's okay," she said brightly. "I would appreciate you not telling him though, although I don't think it will matter." She had misread the signs, Jason wasn't interested in her that way.

"Of course it will matter." Sonny was desperate to bring back her smile but he didn't know how. Jason was the one that had made this mess. "Johnny tells me you have a new friend, what's his name? Zander?"

"Zander?" She laughed bitterly. "Oh yeah I always go for guys that drug me." She muttered to hurt to censor herself.

"What?" Sonny demanded.

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "I always go for guys who … hug me." She blurted out finally and looked at her watch. "I need to get going, I have to meet Emily. Don't worry about telling Jason anything I don't think it will matter to him one way or the other." She began to back up the steps. "Bye Johnny, Sonny."

"Elizabeth wait." Sonny called after her but she was gone. "Damn'it I feel like I just kicked a puppy."

"I know what you mean." Johnny moved closer. "Last night I let it slip that Jason kept in touch with me, apparently he didn't with her."

"Damn Jason what were you thinking?" Sonny rubbed at his eyes. "I hurt her. I didn't mean too, but I did."

"Someone needs to talk to Jason about that, and also about Zander." Johnny reminded him. "Did you catch her slip?"

"About him drugging her?" Sonny's eyes went cold. "Yeah I caught it and I don't like it. I think we need to have a talk with this Zander."

"Should we wait for Jason?" Johnny asked.

"I think we better, Jason has a big hole he needs to get out of, and he might need some help." Sonny headed towards the warehouse. "For now though see if anyone has heard of this kid Zander."

****

~Elm Street~

Elizabeth was so busy fighting back her tears that she didn't realize someone was in front of her until she ran into them. "I'm sorry."

"No harm done Elizabeth."

Her head whipped up and she focused on the man who had her by the arms. "Hi Zander."

"Are you okay?" He could see the tears in her eyes, and couldn't help but be concerned, even though he knew he shouldn't be.

"Yeah, I just got something in my contacts." Elizabeth lied easily and backed away, forcing him to drop his hands. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." He studied her through narrowed eyes, and this time he caught the nervousness and a hint of fear coming off of her. Damn she was playing him. "Are you coming to the rave tomorrow night?"

"I wouldn't miss it." Elizabeth smiled at him before looking at her watch. "I need to go right now I'm meeting someone."

"Okay," he stepped back and let her pass. "I'll see you then."

"Yes I'll see you tomorrow night." Elizabeth turned and looked over her shoulder at him one last time then hurried away.

"I doubt that." Zander muttered, it was time to get the hell out of town. He turned for his car and came up short in surprise. "Mr. Sorel."

Sorel looked past him to a disappearing Elizabeth. "You have such interesting friends Zander."

"She's just a girl." Zander shifted trying to block Sorel's view of Elizabeth.

"Oh she's more then that Zander." Sorel's eyes narrowed and he remembered the pain that girl had cost him. It had felt like Morgan was going to rip his arm out, the time he saw him talking to her. Then later when Sonny had put guards on her, and threatened him away from her. Elizabeth Webber was definitely more then just a girl.

"I guess." Zander shuffled his feet, he didn't like being around Sorel. His beady little eyes always made him feel like he couldn't keep anything from him. And he needed to keep a secret from Sorel. He was leaving town, and Sorel couldn't know that.

"So she's coming to the rave tomorrow night?" Sorel asked.

"Yeah I invited her. I hung out with her at another rave awhile ago." Zander admitted, he decided to play dumb about her connection to Jason Morgan. "She's a little square for my taste though."

"She's perfect for mine." Sorel focused on him. "And that's where you come in."

"What?" Zander asked warily.

"Once she's at the rave I want you to see that she leaves with you."

Zander shook his head. "I don't know she's just a girl, remember what happened last time."

"Yes about what happened last time." Sorel snapped. "I'm still waiting to find out about Officer Wilson and Emily Quartermaine." He smirked then. "What? Surprised I know the girls name? Did you really think I spared her life because you begged me too?" he shook his head. "Silly boy, I spared her life because she is Jason Morgan's sister, and I wanted her to suffer with the knowledge that she killed someone. I wanted Morgan to suffer as well. But that hasn't happened."

Zander kept quiet, this was news to him. He had truly believed Sorel was going to kill her that night.

"But now fate had handed me another opportunity to punish Morgan and Corinthos. You will drug Elizabeth Webber and bring her to me."

"I won't let you kill her." Zander warned him defiantly. 

Sorel's guards grabbed Zander from behind and Sorel moved closer and gripped his chin. "You should be more concerned about what I'll do to you if you fail me. There's nowhere that you will be able to hide from me. I own you Zander. So you better keep me happy."

He stepped back from Zander. "And by that I mean, Elizabeth Webber is mine tomorrow night." He spoke to his guards. "Remind him of that."

One of the guards grinned as they drug a struggling Zander into the alley.

"Soon I'll have my revenge on Morgan, and then it will be Corinthos turn." Sorel spoke over the sounds of the beating going on behind him.


	11. Jason messed up

****

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 11

****

~Kelly's~

"Here," Jason held out a glass of water.

"Thanks." Emily took the glass gratefully. The cool water helped to soothe her throat that was on fire, thanks to the crying jag that she thought would never leave. She really shouldn't bottle her emotions up.

"Do you feel better now?" Jason asked as he settled in the chair across from her. He hadn't seen her cry like that since the awful morning he had woken her up to tell her that Lucky had died.

"Yes," she nodded. "I guess I needed a good cry," she tried to make light of the last few minutes.

"Do you want to tell me what happened to set you off?" He asked after a minute. He didn't want too, and wouldn't press for details. But he wanted her to know that he would listen if she wanted to talk.

Emily debated with herself for a minute, then decided to tell the truth. "Juan and I have been having problems lately. In fact we broke up several weeks ago. Ever since then Juan has wanted to get back together, he wants to try again and I," she sighed. "I never said it wasn't going to happen, at least not until today."

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

The simple question almost made her tear up again. She knew he didn't like Juan. That the only reason he even tolerated him was because of her. And yet he still wanted to make sure that it was what she really wanted. 

"Juan and I were right for awhile. We helped, no," she corrected herself. "He helped me at a time when I needed help. But that time has passed, and our relationship has changed. This new relationship isn't one that I want or need. So I'm sure that ending it for good was the right thing to do." She stopped and sighed heavily. "It's just…"

"It hurts," Jason finished for her when she fell silent again.

"Yes," she nodded. "What also hurts is how we left things. He didn't take the news very well and said some ugly things to me. I don't want to look back on this relationship one day and only remember the pain and anger we caused each other." Emily trailed her finger along the condensation forming on her glass. The water beads were cool to the touch, and somehow soothing. "But I think I might."

"I'm sorry you're hurting."

Grateful, because he hadn't offered the _It will get better in time_ speech, that she knew she would be hearing a lot, the smile she gave him was genuine. "It would have hurt worse, if I kept the relationship going. It wasn't healthy."

Jason's eyes darkened in concern. "Does this have anything to do with the secret you and Elizabeth are keeping from me?"

Emily's finger stopped mid motion and her eyes darted from her glass to him. He met her gaze steadily enough and she could see the determination in his eyes. He wouldn't be put off for much longer.

"Emily?" Jason prompted. "You know that I just want to help you. Don't you?"

Emily nodded mutely her eyes moving back to her glass.

"Then talk to me. I can't help until I know what is going on."

"Juan did have a part in what went wrong." She admitted and couldn't quite keep the bitterness from her voice, as she remembered that night. "You might say what he did helped to start the whole problem."

"What did he do?" He kept his question soft, trying to ease the answer out of her. Judging from her expression she was more in memory at the moment, then there talking to him.

"We hadn't been getting along. It seemed we were fighting more then we were talking. At first the fights were minor, the way my parents treated him, Taggert's rules, his music, his jealousy over my friendships with Lucky and Nikolas." She looked up at him in surprise, comprehension in her eyes. "I think it was the jealousy he was feeling that made everything change between us. Because all of a sudden the fights got more and more personal."

She paused to take a long sip of water. It seemed to be her day for self-realizations. She took her time, knowing that he wouldn't push her. Also because she hadn't decided yet on how much to tell him.

"With the attention that he was getting from other girls because of his singing, I guess I got a little jealous too. But soon it got to the point that I felt like I had to prove that I loved him."

Jason's expression never changed, but inside he was seething. He had little doubt as to what proof Juan had wanted from her. The urge to find Juan and beat on him was very strong in him at the moment. But he said nothing.

"I thought I was ready." Oblivious to Jason's mood Emily continued on. "But I kept putting on the brakes at the last moment, so that caused even more fights. Finally though I decided I was ready," she groaned at the memory. "The only problem was that Juan was tired of the games he said I was playing. He didn't want to be alone with me. Instead he wanted to go to a rave."

She tugged a hand through the snarls in her hair and met her brother's eyes. "So we went to the rave. And that's where this whole nightmare started."

****

~Jax's Penthouse~

"What the hell do you mean by that Venus?"

V hid a wince when she heard her whole name. That coupled with his tone, cut through the worst of her anger. "I just meant that you seem to have no problem, trusting Chloe's decisions, yet you question mine."

"Of course I trust Chloe. I'm backing her business now, if I didn't trust her I wouldn't do that," Jax dismissed Chloe with a wave of his hand. "I don't see what she has to do with you taking on the mob."

V moved until she was standing on the other side of the couch facing him. She needed to keep a distance between them if she wanted to keep a clear head while the fought. "I brought her up because of the way you reacted to my news. You don't have a problem with Chloe doing what she is trained to do."

"She's a fashion designer for crying out loud," Jax interrupted. "The only dangerous aspect in her line of work is if she gets caught between the models and the bathroom, before a fitting."

V ignored that and went on. "Yet when I try to do what I am trained to do you throw a hissy fit."

"Maybe I'm throwing a fit because I'm in love with you. Did you think of that? Maybe it's because I don't want you to do this because it is dangerous." He moved closer and she shifted countering his movements, keeping the distance between them. "Is it wrong for me to be concerned about you?"

"No." She ran a hand through her hair. "But it isn't right for you to try to tell me what to do with my life or my career."

"I'm not doing that. At least I hope I'm not." He moved quickly and was on her side of the couch before she had a chance to back away. "If I did do that I'm sorry. It's just I'm worried about what could happen to you if you take this case."

"I told you Jax, this is what I'm trained for, and even more then that it's what I love to do." Her eyes searched his for understanding. "I would never ask you to give up raiding companies, because that is what you love to do. Law enforcement, security, whatever you want to call it, is what I love, it's a part of me."

"I'm not blind," he took her hand and brought it to his lips. "I know a part of you has been unhappy ever since you quit the force." He saw her eyes brighten at that admission. "But this case. It's too much V."

Hurt V dropped his hand and withdrew from him. "You don't think I can do it? You think I'm just some dumb Sheriff's Deputy who can't handle an investigation like this?"

"No." Jax caught her arm before she could storm away. She yanked hard trying to free it but he held on. "Look at me," he waited until she stopped struggling before going on. Finally he addressed her head when she refused to look at him. "What I think is just the opposite V. I know how good you are, and that's what scares me."

She raised her eyes then.

"You're good enough that you will probably find Ted Wilson and whoever killed him," his voice dropped to a whisper. "But you have to see that whoever does have him, has killed once and they won't hesitate to kill again. If they were willing to kill a cop, they won't think twice about killing a private detective."

"I'll be careful. You know how I am."

"Careful doesn't always mean safe. I can't lose you V. I can't handle losing another person I love." His last words were spoken in her hair as he pulled her into an embrace.

Her arms tightened around his waist. She knew the memories of his earlier loves were haunting him. He had thought his first wife Miranda, had been killed and had to live with that fact for years. Then he had lost Brenda as well. And now he was worried about her. "I'm right here Jax. I have been for awhile now. You just never saw me."

"I see you now," he pulled back to look in her eyes. "Please V, for me, let this case go."

****

~Kelly's~

"What happened at the rave?"

"Everything sort of fell apart. The music there was so loud, you can barely think. And there are all these people around you, they press so close that it's hard to move. The heat is incredible, both from the people and the temperature, it's overwhelming." Her eyes darkened in memory. Sometimes she thought she could still smell the stench of the sweat and tobacco from that night.

"It's like all your senses get so jacked up that you can't concentrate on anything, your whole mind and your body is on overload. It's the closest I've ever felt to the madness that drugs offer you, without actually taking them." Emily shifted in her chair and began to drum her fingers on the table. "And if you add two people who aren't getting along to that pressure cooker and something's got to give. Someone is going to blow."

"Who blew? You or Juan?"

"Me, then him, and then it got really bad," she admitted. The ugly words that she'd said, that he'd said were still in her memory, so too was the misery that had filled her. "It was our worst fight yet and no one was spared. Lucky, Elizabeth, Nikolas, they all got caught in the crossfire."

He didn't really like what he was hearing, but more then that he didn't like the way she sounded. Her voice was hollow, rather then reflective. To him that meant she was still dealing with it, that it wasn't in the past yet.

"Juan stormed off one way and I went the other. I felt so hot and so alone, even though Elizabeth was there. Everything was so loud in the room and in my head, that I just wanted to forget for awhile." She flicked some nail polish off her fingers and smiled slightly. "I broke the rules. I knew I wasn't supposed to drink anything there. That there was a good chance that it would be spiked or drugged, but I didn't care. At that point I just didn't want to feel anymore."

Emily studied his face for disappointment or anger, but the eyes that met hers were filled with nothing but patience and understanding. When she saw that she went on.

"It was laced and soon I didn't feel anything. At least not until I saw Juan kissing another girl. He looked right at me, made sure I saw him, and then kissed Allison 'chipmunk slut' Barrington."

Jason sighed and reminded himself to look Juan up later on. He had warned him about deliberately hurting Emily, and that was about as deliberate as it got.

Emily reached for her glass and she noticed the dark bruises on her wrist. She quickly dropped her hand to her lap and pulled the sleeve down, hoping he hadn't seen them. Seeing them herself made her realize that she was soon either going to have to shut up, or tell him everything. She wasn't surprised to realize that she wanted to tell him even though the others, especially Lucky, didn't want her too.

"What did you do then?"

"I ran," she admitted. "I told you once that I was a reactor. I don't force the issue or have confrontations if I can avoid them. I'm one of the avoidance is better Quartermaines," her smile turned mocking. "Oh I can fight with the family or stick up for my friends, but when it's just about me, and the pain or hurt gets to be too heavy, I retreat. My retreat was drugs, kind of like A.J.'s is alcohol. This time even though I was stoned by that point, I still felt enough that I had to run away, this time physically, from the pain."

Jason rested his elbows on the table, his movements forced her to look at him. "You did what you needed to do in order to cope with what you were seeing. Running isn't always a bad thing Emily, not when staying would be so much worse."

She looked away from his eyes. But what if you ran into worse trouble? Trouble bad enough that it made seeing your boyfriend kiss another seem like a walk in the park.

"Finish the story Emily." He could tell from her eyes and from her sudden shiftiness in the seat, that the worst part was still coming.

"I ran away from Elizabeth who was trying to get me to leave. I wanted to leave, but the rave was so crowded it was hard to move. My head was spinning and it was hard to find the door." She kept her eyes on the table not wanting to see his face when she told him what happened next. "I ran right into a guy. He seemed nice, and I just wanted to be gone. I could hear Lucky calling my name and I didn't want to face him. I didn't want to deal with any of my friends. I didn't want to see the I told you so look in their eyes, even if they didn't say the words. I just wanted to forget. I didn't want to feel," her voice dropped to a whisper. "So I left with him."

Jason ran a hand over his cheek and held back a sigh. He didn't look back. He never saw the point because you couldn't change anything. He knew that Emily was okay at least physically, but at he same time he knew something bad had happened. And that made him worried and angry. Most of the anger was directed at Juan and the unnamed guy she left the rave with, but some was directed at himself. After what had happened with Tom Baker, he had promised her that he would always be there for her. That if she found herself in trouble again, he would help her no questions asked, but he hadn't been.

"I thought we were going to another rave, but…"

"Well look who we have here." Taggert's voice boomed out in the small courtyard causing Emily to jolt in surprise. "Jason Morgan is back in town. Today is such a good day. I should've checked my horoscope."

Jason watched Emily withdraw and shut down, and realized it was yet another reason to dislike Taggert. He kept his face impassive as he turned to look at him.

"Emily." Taggert nodded at her before letting his eyes rest on Jason. "One of my boys said you were back in town. I almost busted him down to meter duty when I couldn't find you. I'll have to remember that."

"Is there something you want?" Jason's tone was full of disinterest. He knew that if he didn't react to Taggert, the man would go away sooner.

"Oh I want lots of things Anger Boy." Taggert grinned and began to rock in place. "In fact I'm about to get one of my biggest wishes. Your boss will soon be a guest of the state for over 25 years. Drug trafficking was such a bad thing for him, but it's great for me."

Jason just tilted his head, projecting a look of confusion as he looked up at Taggert.

The half-amused/half-confused expression on Morgan's face bothered him. It always bothered him. He rarely got past the look, and that frustrated him. The once named Anger Boy had learned some things about control. But he still had a lot to learn.

"I figured you'd be back in town before too long. Sonny will need to explain to you how to run things before he goes to jail. That will take a long time for you to grasp." He kept the pressure on trying to goad Morgan into reacting. "Not that it will do you much good." He put his hands on the table and leaned closer to him. "Once he can't hold your hand and tell you what to do anymore, you will fall apart. We know that your brain damaged mind can't handle too many things at once."

"God how could you?" Emily hissed causing Taggert to look at her. "Your supposed to be a cop and all you are is a bully with a badge."

"Emily," Jason started.

"You accost Jason, get in his face every chance you get, you insult him, you call him names," she got to her feet. "Do you know what kind of person that makes you?"

"Morgan is a criminal." Taggert stated simply.

"Prove it." Emily crossed her arms over her chest and glowered at him. "That's right you can't. All you've ever been able to prove is that he is half-owner in a successful coffee business. Everything else you say about him is nothing but your opinions because you haven't made a thing stick."

"Emily it's okay." Jason got to his feet trying to cut off her tirade and earned a glare in the process.

"No it's not Jason. He lectures Juan on how to treat people, and yet he treats you like something he scraped off his shoe," she focused on Taggert again. "You know I may not have always liked you Lieutenant but at least I respected you. But I don't now, not when you use your badge to call people names."

"Emily I know he's your brother, but that doesn't change the fact that he is a dangerous criminal." Taggert tried to reason with her.

"The word criminal implies that Mr. Morgan has been convicted of a crime." Alexis Davis entered the fray from behind Taggert, causing him grimace. "The only charge that my client has ever admitted too is train surfing. Since that was only a misdemeanor, it is not a crime worthy of the label criminal. But I have a word for you Lieutenant, in fact I have several words. Slander, harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress," she paused and her mouth curved into a feral smile. "There is also that new stalking law that recently went into effect. I've been intrigued about the public official aspect of that law."

Jason couldn't help but smile at the anger and frustration on Taggert's face.

"I was just…"

"Leaving Lieutenant." Alexis finished for him.

Taggert ignored her and stepped closer to Jason. "I'll be watching you Morgan. Watching and waiting. The instant you screw up you'll be in a cell next to your boss. Remember that."

"Taggert will you never learn?" Alexis asked. "How many complaints do I have to level against you before you realize that you can't treat my clients this way."

"Emily I'm sorry if I upset you. But you need to know the truth about your _hero_," he sneered the word, "here." With that he turned, and with a nod to Alexis, left.

"He can always brighten up a place," Alexis commented. "All he has to do is leave. Don't let him get to you Emily," she patted her arm and then looked at Jason. "I know he didn't bother you."

"Thanks anyway Alexis." Jason offered her a genuine smile. "I wasn't sure if I was still your client."

"I have the feeling you will always be in need of my services." Alexis opened the door to Kelly's. "And as long as you pay my bills you'll get them."

Jason just shook his head and waited until she disappeared before focusing on Emily again. "Let's finish our talk."

Emily's mind was racing. She had been going to tell Jason about Ted, but now she wasn't sure she should. Taggert was looking for any reason to arrest Jason. If Jason got caught with Ted's body, Taggert wouldn't even bother trying to find out what really happened. He would just throw Jason in jail. She couldn't let Jason put himself on the line like that. She wouldn't be able to handle the guilt if her brother was sent to prison for trying to help her. She would rather walk into the police station today and admit the truth then see that happen. Decision made she focused on her brother, now she just had to throw him off track.

"Emily?" Jason touched her hand.

"There's not much else to say," Emily stepped back breaking contact. "I left with him and I did some stuff that I'm not proud of. I didn't want anyone to know I did that, because I was and am ashamed that I left with him. I was ashamed that I had fallen off the wagon."

Jason studied his sister who was doing a very good job of not meeting his eyes. She was lying that much he could tell. Yet at the same time, he had a feeling she wasn't. "What's the secret?"

"Uh…" she huffed out a breath to buy time, while her mind raced ahead trying to think of what to say. She finally decided on a mixture of the truth and lies. "I woke up the next morning in a hotel and I didn't remember what happened. The secret is that. I've been trying to figure out what happened that night, Elizabeth and the others are helping me." She met his eyes as she told him the big lie. "We've been trying to find the guy I was with, so we can find out what happened."

Now his senses were screaming that she was lying, but he still couldn't figure out about which part. "Emily…"

"That's it. That's my secret. It's just I was too ashamed to tell you, or anybody else." She reached for her purse. "But I'm through with looking back. I'm going to borrow a page from your book and forget about the past. Instead I'm going to focus on the future. I would appreciate it if you don't tell anybody though. I'm still embarrassed."

"Emily I just want to help."

"You can't," she cried loudly before taking a breath and trying again. "I told you I'm letting it go." She gave him a hug. "I need to go."

"Emily when you're ready to tell me the truth I'll be here." Jason watched her hurry away then turned to head for the warehouse, before pausing and looking after her again. His senses were telling him that he shouldn't let this go. He had a feeling that the trouble she was in was growing, he took a step after her when his cell rang.

"What?" He growled into the phone and waited. "Now? … Are you sure? … Fine I'm on my way." He closed the phone and took a final look in the direction his sister had disappeared, before heading the other way. He'd talk to her soon and get the rest of the story out of her.

~*~

Jason's words rang in her ears when she raced from the courtyard as if the hounds of hell were chasing her. He knew she was lying, so all she had managed to do was buy herself time. Hopefully it would be enough time. All she needed was another day. The rave was tomorrow night, they just had to find out where. Unfortunately she would have to rely on Juan to find out where, she wondered if he would still help them. 

She was walking past an alley when a noise coming from inside of it, made her pause. Her eyes swept the alley looking for what had caused the noise. The early hints of sunset were upon them and the shadows were spreading across the alley, hiding more then it revealed. When she didn't see anything she began to move again.

Emily had only taken a step when she heard a groan. This time she pinpointed the origin of the noise, both by the sound and the scuffed white sneakers that were moving on the far side of a trash bin. "Are you okay?" She called out. The only response she got was another groan followed by a thud as something hit the side of the trash bin.

"Do you need some help?" Caution warred with her ingrained need to help and she took a step into the alley.

"I'm fine." A masculine voice called out weakly, then was followed by a muffled oath as a thud sounded again.

"Okay." Emily began to move again, but the soft curses and the pain in his voice stopped her. "You are such a sucker," she muttered before moving towards the sneakers.

The shadows were lengthening but there was still enough light that she could make out the bruised features of a dark-haired man on his knees. He was leaning against the trash bin, his eyes were closed, and his arm was wrapped around his waist in what looked like self-protection. She could see a dark bruise forming on his jaw, and a thin trickle of blood was peeking out from under the hair on his forehead. He was older than her by a few years and in obvious pain.

"Let me help you up."

At the soft voice Zander Smith's eyes flew open and he focused in surprise at the girl standing a few feet in front of him. He'd figured she had left. "No. I," he broke off when he shifted sending another shaft of pain through his ribs. Sorel's goons were nothing if not professional. He knew from bitter experience that at least one rib was broken. He only hoped the others were only bruised. He also knew that he couldn't get up without help. "Thanks." He offered a smile and only winced slightly when his bruised jaw didn't like that.

Emily blinked at the smile, it changed his looks, then moved closer and squatted by him. "Put your arm around my shoulder and I'll leverage you up."

Zander nodded and did as she ordered. He couldn't help but groan when her hand touched his side.

"Sorry," Emily moved her hand down until she grasped the belt loop of his jeans. "I'll pull from here. You might get a wedgie but I won't hurt you."

Zander choked. "Don't make me laugh."

"Right, sorry. Are you ready?" She tilted her head so she could look in his face.

"Yeah." Zander was struck by a sense of recognition when he saw her face, but before he could place her she was tugging him to his feet.

It felt like forever but at last he was standing. He leaned against the trash bin in relief, and for support. "Thanks."

Emily stepped back. "No problem," she hesitated. "Do you need an ambulance?"

"No, I'll be fine." He gestured to the mouth of the alley. "My car's across the street. I'll just go home."

Something told her that arguing would do no good. Instead she moved closer and took his arm again. "Then let's get you to your car."

Zander was too surprised at her actions, to do anything other then obey her. "You know you really shouldn't be doing this. Normally if a person is lying beaten in an alley it's best if you just mind your own business and look the other way."

"My your from a cynical world." Emily kept her pace slow so he didn't have to shift very much. "I'll stick to my own world. In it you help people who are in trouble."

Surprised he tried again. "I could be dangerous. You shouldn't help men you don't know, it's not smart."

"Maybe you are dangerous." She conceded as they reached the street pausing to look for traffic, and let him rest, before moving forward again. "But at he moment I could knock you on your ass and be 10 feet away before the first curse came out of your mouth."

Zander smiled and nodded. "You're right."

Emily was a little surprised at how easy it was for her to talk to him. Normally she didn't make a whole lot of sense when she first started to talk to guys she didn't know. She was also surprised at his admission that she could knock him over. Juan could be on crutches with a broken leg and he would still never admit that he was weak. She shook her head banishing the comparison of this man and her former boyfriend.

"It's this one." Zander motioned to a dark blue Monte Carlo. The exertion of walking 20 yards was getting to him and he leaned against the door in relief.

Emily stepped back and studied him in the sunlight. He was almost white under his tan, and the bruises were apparent on his face. But even the bruises couldn't disguise the fact that he was good looking, and in pain. "Are you sure you don't want a doctor?"

"I'll be fine," he straightened from the door and turned to look at his rescuer in the light. "Thanks to you…"

"Emily." She provided her name and held out her hand. 

Recognition crashed into him as he placed the brown eyed girl who was helping him. Emily Quartermaine.

Oh shit.

The last time he had seen her, he had just placed her in a bed next to a dying cop, after begging Sorel to spare her life.

"Are you okay?" Emily touched his arm in concern when he just stared at her.

"I'm fine," he managed. "Thank you Emily." He couldn't meet her eyes. He felt guilty because he knew what he had done to her. He lowered his eyes and focused on the livid bruises that were on her arms. "Are you okay?"

"What?" She saw where he was looking and quickly tugged her sleeves down. "Yeah. Well here's your car. Take it easy." She paused raising an eyebrow in question.

"Alexander." He gave her a name he hadn't used in years.

"Bye Alexander." Emily backed away.

"Thanks again Emily." Zander called after her.

Emily didn't look back until she reached the corner. He hadn't moved, he was still leaning against the door watching her. Unnerved she waved and turned the corner. He was good looking, older and in trouble, a combination that never worked for her. Still Alexander was a nice name.

~*~

Zander finally managed to leverage himself in the car and close the door. Things were just getting too close in Port Charles. He needed to get out of town before Sorel came after him again.

Memories of Emily's voice and images of Elizabeth's face came to him. If he left there was no telling what Sorel would do to them, and they wouldn't be expecting it.

"Not my problem." He told himself and started the engine.

He had learned a long time ago that he had to take care of himself first and foremost, because no one else had ever wanted the job. Sorel wouldn't be looking for him until late tomorrow night. By the time he failed to show up with Elizabeth Webber, he would be safe in Canada. Sorel might have a long reach but he knew places to hide in Canada.

__

"I'll stick to my world. In it we help people who are in trouble."

Zander groaned and put the car in drive. Emily Quartermaine and Elizabeth Webber were on their own. They were tight with Jason Morgan, he'd watch them, if he knew he had too.

"Don't even think about it." He muttered. If he went to Morgan with this kind of story, he'd get killed. The girls were on their own. 

Still he couldn't help but feel guilty as he began to drive away.

****

~Jax's Penthouse~

Jax could see the pain form in her eyes the minute he asked the question and he hated it. But he couldn't take the request back anymore, then he could stem the fear he was feeling at the thought of her getting messed up in Corinthos' world.

He had found out just how ugly the underbelly of the mob could be. He had seen its reach first hand with his brother and his father. He had also seen it when Rivera had gone after Brenda to punish Corinthos. So the thought of someone else he loved getting involved in the mob scared the hell out of him.

He was especially worried because he knew better then most how tenacious V could be. She was good at her job, and she never, ever quit. It was because of her that he had been able to track down Brenda and Sonny and help them deal with Rivera. Because of her he had managed to get the money to help rebuild his empire. Because of her, the assassin that tried to kill him once was stopped. She was too good at what she did to be ignored by whoever killed Wilson.

"Please don't ask this of me Jax."

"I can't help how I feel."

V spun away from him, anger and hurt churning inside of her. "So is this an ultimatum? Either I drop the case or I lose you?"

"No." Jax caught her arm mid pace. "I wouldn't do that to you, to us. If you decide to do this, I'll have to live with it. But I won't lie to you, I won't be happy about it."

V let out a relieved sigh. "I really will be careful."

"You better be." He growled in defeat.

She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you." She murmured before kissing him.

Jax turned his head more fully into the kiss. The last vestiges of anger and fear coursed through him and into her. She met the passion with her own and began to pull him back to one of the couches, only to stop when the phone began to ring.

"Ignore it." Jax hissed as he began to nuzzle her ear.

"I…" damn that felt good. "I can't. I put out some feelers and had my calls," she moaned as he found the sensitive skin behind her ear, "forwarded here."

She broke free while she still could and managed to grab the phone on the fifth ring and tried to settle her breathing. She may not like fighting with Jax but she loved the kiss and make-up part. All of those thoughts flew out of her head as the voice on the other end of the phone caught her focus. "Yes that's right July 3rd." V began to scribble on a pad.

Jax studied her expression and sat on the couch. He knew that look, there was no stopping her, he grimaced and waited. He had a feeling he was going to be waiting a lot from now on.

Five minutes later V slammed the phone down with a cry. "I got to go. I have a lead." She began to shove some papers in her oversized bag. "A hotel owner out on Route 2 seems to remember something about Ted Wilson that he never told the police. He sounds legitimate and I need to meet with him in person." She turned and found herself looking at Jax's neck. He had moved behind her quietly while she was talking. "Sorry."

"There's no point in asking you to call Taggert is there?" He asked a little mournfully.

V cupped his chin and kissed him briefly, but passionately. "I'll be careful," she eased out of his hold and opened the door.

"V," she turned to look at him and he could see the excitement dancing in her eyes. "Call me if you're going to be late."

"I will." V closed the door and hit the call button on the elevator. Only four hours on the job and she had a promising lead. She was going to find Ted Wilson, she only hoped she would find him alive.

****

~Warehouse~

Jason stuck his head and shoulders under the outside spigot with a sigh. After a minute he pulled back and rubbed at the grease on his hands and arms before dipping back under the cooling stream of water again. The job had been messy, hot, and hard, but after two hours it was finally done. He stood up when something hit his back. He looked from the towel on the ground to the man who threw it. "Problem?"

"If you're through with your shower," Johnny commented. "Sonny needs to talk to you."

Jason made no move to pick up the towel and instead rubbed at the grease on his arms. "Is there a problem?"

"No," Johnny smirked. "Jesus man did you have to bathe in the oil?"

"Loaders tend to be messy." Jason said shortly, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck trying to work out the kinks there, and sending water rivulets down his bare chest.

"Why did you fix it? You're an owner. Don't you know you hire people to do that?"

"We couldn't get a mechanic here until tomorrow." Jason explained after he shut off the water and picked up the towel. "The load needed to go out tonight."

"Well if your done with your pose-a-thon you want to talk to Sonny?"

Jason shot him a look as he pulled on his shirt. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh nothing it's just that we've never had Susan the receptionist, Michele the file clerk, and Dana Sonny's secretary all work three hours late before. Especially when the reason they worked late seemed to be so they could stare out the window and the door, at you."

Jason just shook his head and headed past the bodyguard. "You're exaggerating."

"No I'm not. I already had to tell the cleaning crew to clean the drool off the window, where Michele was." Johnny kept up the teasing as he trailed Jason down the hall.

"You still have a problem getting dates don't you Johnny?"

"Hey compared to a monk like you I'm Don Juan," Johnny defended himself. "Besides which what little love life you do have is about to jump up and bite you on the ass." With that warning he knocked once and opened the door. "Jason's here."

"Thanks Johnny." Sonny nodded.

"Good luck," Johnny whispered as Jason moved past him.

Jason raised an eyebrow then closed the door. "What's going on?"

"I found out some things that you need to know. Take a seat." Sonny gestured to a chair and waited, using the time to figure out exactly what to say to his best friend. He was still a little unsure about the status of his friendship with Jason. It was true that Jason had forgiven him, but a few days ago was the first time they had talked about anything personal in months. The confidence that usually sustained him was a little shaky.

"Sonny is there a problem?"

"I don't know for sure. All I know is you need to know some things," he focused on Jason. "Things about Elizabeth."

Jason came to alert. "What about her?"

"I think she's in trouble."

"What do you know?" Jason got to his feet in concern.

"I ran into her earlier on the docks and I asked her about a guy that Johnny saw her with. A guy named Zander. Did she tell you about him?"

"No." Jason moved to the window feeling uncomfortable for some reason. He had thought she was trying with Lucky. So who the hell was Zander?

Sonny could read the tension in Jason by how stiff he was standing at the window. "I don't think she's dating him, in fact I don't think she even likes him."

"Then why are you mentioning him?" Jason demanded shortly.

"Because when I asked her about him she let it slip that he had drugged her."

"What?" He turned on Sonny his expression cold.

"She tried to cover it up but that's what she said. Before I could press her on it she left." Sonny leaned against the desk and waited.

"I knew something was going on with her and…" Jason stopped talking and thought back to his earlier conversation with Emily. She had said that Elizabeth and the others had been trying to find the man from the rave. Maybe this Zander guy had something to do with that.

"Jason?"

"Did she say anything else?"

"Not about this guy."

Sonny's hesitation was brief but Jason caught it. "What else happened?"

Sonny bought himself some time by moving back around his desk. This was the part he didn't know if he should mention to Jason. He could tell from Elizabeth's questions, during the time Jason was gone, that she really cared about him. From the brief conversation earlier today he had the feeling that now she was thinking about him as more than a friend. Or at least she had been until he had opened his big mouth and hurt her.

But he wasn't sure how to mention that to Jason or if he should. Jason didn't open up about his feelings very often. And with the awkwardness that was still between them, Sonny wasn't sure Jason would want him to mention anything. But he couldn't help but remember that one afternoon before Jason had left. It was the first personal discussion that they'd had after his betrayal with Carly and that conversation had been about Elizabeth.

He had been surprised when Jason had opened up to him. And he had been thrilled at the expression on Jason's face and his eyes when he did. Sonny remembered thinking at the time how much Jason's description about Elizabeth had changed. A few weeks earlier he had described her as Lucky's girlfriend, but that day he could tell that she had moved past that to Jason. Jason had shut down before he said too much, but in that moment, he knew how much she meant to him.

"Sonny I asked you what else she said." Impatience shimmered around Jason. He wanted to find her, but he wouldn't until he knew what Sonny was holding back.

"I don't want to overstep, but I need to as you something Jason." Sonny said finally. "How do you feel about Elizabeth?"

Jason withdrew. Sonny could see it in his eyes. First he pulled back emotionally then physically.

"Why do you want to know?"

Sonny nearly groaned when he heard the ice in Jason's voice. "I'm asking because I think she likes you."

"I know that." Jason snapped.

"No Jason she really likes you." Sonny rested his elbows on the desk. "But she doesn't know how you feel."

Jason gripped the back of the chair and waited. He wasn't quite sure where Sonny was heading with this. But he knew he wasn't ready to talk to anyone, including Sonny, about his feelings for Elizabeth. He was still trying to figure them out himself.

"Maybe I'm wrong. But I think you should talk to her. And when you do you might explain why you never asked about her while you were gone."

Jason blinked in surprise. "I knew you would watch out for her."

Sonny was glad for that show of support. "I did. I also know why you didn't ask. We only had two personal conversations the entire time you were gone. The first was when I told you about the pregnancy and the second was when you gave me the information about A.J. I know that but all she knows is while she asked about you all the time, you never asked about her."

Jason nodded. "I need to go."

Sonny nodded knowing he couldn't press Jason any further or he would completely shut down. "I have the guys checking on this Zander guy."

"Good let me know what you turn up." Jason opened the door. "I'll find out more from her," he hesitated and kept his back to Sonny. "Thanks."

"Jason." Johnny caught him before he could leave. "There's something you should know that I didn't tell Sonny. Two things actually."

"What's that?" He paused by the door and turned to look at the other man.

"When she was with Zander she seemed afraid of him. But at the same time she wanted him to like her. It was like she needed something from him."

"Afraid? Was he touching her?"

"Not really. They were on the docks and she was desperate for him not to find out where she lived. She used me to get away from him. She lied pretty good but I think he might have caught on."

Jason's hand tightened on the doorknob in anger. "What's the other thing?"

"Uh," Johnny scratched his chin and shifted on the balls of his feet. "I told you that you messed up. I mean what were you thinking? You kept in touch with me but not her. Are you nuts?"

"How does she know that?"

Johnny shifted again. "How the hell was I supposed to know that you hadn't sent her anything? Next to Emily I thought she would be the first person you would keep in touch with." He studied his friend with a shake of the head. "For a smart guy Jason. That was stupid."

****

~Suds of Fun~

"Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth whipped around at the mention of her name and smiled. "Hi Nikolas. Thanks for coming. I'll be just a minute." She turned back and threw the fabric softener ball in the machine before shoving the coins in the slot and starting it.

"No problem." Nikolas looked around at the almost empty Laundromat. It was the first time he had ever been inside of one. The artificial glare the harsh fluorescent lighting gave off made the white machines bright enough to hurt his eyes. The damp musty smell mixed with the heat in the room and the pungent odor tickled his nose. He realized he hadn't been missing anything.

Elizabeth moved her sketchpad and patted a chair beside the one she was now sitting in.

"So what do you need?" Nikolas asked.

"I need you to listen to me."

"I always do."

"No," she shook her head. "No you don't. But this time I really need you too. I need you to battle back your knee-jerk reaction and listen to me."

Nikolas tried to shift the chair and frowned when he realized he couldn't because it was bolted to the floor. "I'm not going to like this am I?"

"Probably not," Elizabeth conceded. "But you need to hear it." What she had overheard at Jax's penthouse had stayed with her the rest of the day. She realized that they couldn't go on hiding Ted Wilson. Now all she had to do was convince Nikolas. "It's about this plan of Lucky's. It isn't going to work. You know it and I know it."

Nikolas sighed, he agreed with her, but he didn't like the alternative he knew she was going to suggest. But she had a point he needed to get past his knee-jerk reaction and do what was best for them all. And what was best was getting help from someone who knew what they were doing. So he made the suggestion instead, hoping to surprise her. "I think we should tell Jason."

"No." Elizabeth shook her head. "Jason is the last person who can ever know."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

__

Let me hear from you if you want more, that is if anyone is still reading.


	12. Suds of Fun

****

Gratitude: Thanks for all the replies last chapter. They really help. _Hint Hint_

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 12

****

~Sud's of Fun~

Such a look of surprise filtered across Nikolas' face that if it wasn't such a serious conversation Elizabeth would have been tempted to laugh. She rarely caught the Cassadine Prince off-guard.

"Let me get this straight," Nikolas began after a minute. "You don't want to go with Lucky's plan."

"Right."

"But you don't want to tell Jason and get his help either?"

"Right," Elizabeth nodded in confirmation.

"That makes no sense."

Turning in the plastic coated chair until she was facing her confused friend she patted his hand. "I know that Nikolas. Ever since Jason got back in town I've been the one arguing the loudest that we should tell him what was going on."

"Exactly."

"And I do realize how painful it was for you to look past your…" pausing she delicately searched for the right word, "obvious distrust and dislike of Jason, to even make the suggestion of telling him. I'm proud of you Nikolas. I don't think you would have been able to suggest going to Jason for anything 6 months ago."

He didn't think he could have suggested it a week ago, but Nikolas wisely kept his feelings to himself.

"I mean it Nikolas, you put your feelings aside and were focused only on doing the smart thing for all of us."

"If I was so smart why don't you want us to tell Jason?" Nikolas asked.

"If you'd made the suggestion this morning, I would have dragged you to Jason before you could change your mind. But I've learned a few things since this morning, things that have me reconsidering whether we should tell him at all."

"Elizabeth what is going on?" Nikolas asked when she abruptly stopped talking.

"Did you know Ted Wilson was engaged?" She focused on him suddenly and her question caused him to look away. "That he is the last of 3 kids, his mother is a teacher, his dad a retired fireman?"

"Stop it," he ordered.

"That he was going to be married on October 13 to his high school sweetheart?"

"Elizabeth," Nikolas shot to his feet and walked away from her trying to block her words. He had made a conscious effort not to think about whom Ted Wilson had been. He knew all he wanted to know about Wilson. The man was an undercover cop who happened to be hidden in his freezer and that was enough. They all felt that way, in most discussions they all referred to Wilson as the body, no one wanted to think of him as a person, and now Elizabeth was forcing him to do just that and he didn't like it.

"Nikolas?"

"Why are you doing this?" Nikolas asked wearily.

"I didn't want to know either," she informed him softly, sadly. "If I had my choice he would still be just the dead body wrecking my life. But he's not and it's time we realize that."

"What does this have to do with Jason?" Turning to face her he leaned against a running dryer.

"I know you think I bury my head in the sand when it comes to what Jason does for a living," she saw his expression and glared at him. "I don't, I'm not stupid. I'm just more accepting of the gray that life has to offer then you are," she waved away his comment before he could speak. "But that isn't the issue. I know what Jason is capable of probably more than you do. If we tell him, he will make Ted Wilson disappear permanently."

"And the problem with that is what? Isn't that what we're trying to do?"

"No we don't want him to disappear, we want the cops to find him, we just don't want the cops to find him with us." Elizabeth explained patiently.

"I disagree, I'm not trying to solve a crime here Elizabeth. We know what happened to Emily, we know who did it, we're just trying to get rid of the body and move on with our lives," Nikolas shot back wearily. "I just want it out of my freezer."

"So you don't care if Wilson is never found? You don't care if his family doesn't ever find out what happened to him?" She took a step closer when she saw him flinch. "You don't care that his fiancée is so torn up over his disappearance that she can't move on until she knows what happened to him? You don't care if his body is never found and his parents are never allowed to bury him?"

"I-I…"

"What if was Stefan? Would you care then?"

Nikolas recoiled from her words. Instantly contrite Elizabeth stepped forward and pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that," she held on but his arms hung limply at his sides. "You know better then any of us, how it feels to not know what happened to someone you love. Can you really keep putting Ted Wilson's family through that, when you're going through it yourself?"

Gradually Nikolas let himself be comforted by her embrace. "I miss him so much."

"I know you do Nikolas, he's your father, even if biology says he isn't. He's raised you and loved you from the instant he knew about you. You want him back," she drew back to look in his sad eyes. "And the not knowing what happened to him eats at you everyday."

Still unused to letting him emotions out in front of others, Nikolas nodded briskly and stepped away, turning his back to her while he brushed at his eyes. "You're right we can't torture his family anymore, we need to end this."

"I agree." Elizabeth sighed, she felt for her friend and wanted to comfort him, but there were times when she felt she couldn't, like now. "Lucky's plan is crazy it will never work."

"We all agreed to it," Nikolas reminded her.

"I know but think about it, moving a dead body from one car to another in the middle of a rave, where people are coming in and out every second? If you honestly think it will work, tell me, and I'll back off," she waited for a response that she knew would not be forthcoming. "That leaves us."

"What about Jason?" Is was a strange place to find himself in. Suddenly he was Jason's supporter and Elizabeth was arguing against him. Life could sure be a confusing place.

Elizabeth went on carefully. "Think about it Nikolas, you don't like him, that's obvious. But there is one thing you know about him, he will not let anything hurt Emily if he can help it."

Nikolas nodded slowly.

"If there is the slightest chance that Wilson can be tied to Emily, do you think he'd risk it?" She wasn't naïve and she wasn't stupid, she knew the sort of man Jason was, and the work he did.

"He'd make sure Ted Wilson was never found by anybody," Nikolas admitted roughly. If the situations were reversed and it was his sister Lulu in Emily's situation he would do the same thing no questions asked. "He wouldn't risk Emily."

"Exactly that's why we can't tell him. I don't want anything coming back on Emily either, but I can't pretend that Ted Wilson is just a body anymore. I can't keep his family in limbo."

"I don't know."

"Nikolas," she touched his arm until he looked at her. "What if someone out there, right now, knew where your uncle was, or what happened to him, but for whatever reason they hid him or his body and never told anyone. Could you handle never knowing? Would the ache in your heart ever fill?"

"You don't fight fair," Nikolas whispered roughly.

"I don't want to fight at all. I just want it over," Elizabeth whispered back.

Patting her hand Nikolas stepped away and stared sightlessly at the spinning washing machine on the wall in front of him. They had been going around in circles for weeks now, it was time to stop the ride. "What do you want to do? Do you even know?"

Nervously wetting her lips, she knew she had Nikolas on her side, she only hoped she still did when she explained her plan. "We need to take care of things. Just the two of us."

"Lucky…"

"Won't even see that his plan is ridiculous," Elizabeth cut him off with honesty. "I'm not saying this to be mean, but because it needs to be said. Lucky isn't helping anyone at the moment, I don't think he can. He hasn't dealt with the kidnapping yet, and because of that he's doing a lot of things he wouldn't normally be doing. Things that can get people hurt. We can't risk that here, we can't risk him."

Unbidden a memory of the bruises Emily was sporting came to mind and Nikolas found himself nodding in agreement. "Alright so we need to do something ourselves." He didn't even bother to mention Emily he knew she was going through enough, he wasn't about to drag her into this, and since Elizabeth hadn't mentioned her either she must agree.

"I have a plan. I've been thinking about it all these nights when I should have been sleeping," jumping up on a washing machine she waited until he looked at her. "And I want you to listen to the whole thing before immediately jumping in and saying no."

Nikolas glanced down at his pants then sighed and jumped up on the machine next to her. "I'm not going to like this am I?"

"Probably not," Elizabeth conceded. "But I have a feeling you'll see that I'm right."

"Then you probably better tell me."

****

~Kelly's~

"Well hello there stranger," Bobbie Spencer cried in recognition at her latest customer. Moving quickly around the counter she crossed to him looking for a hug. "This explains the smile Monica has been wearing for days now."

Jason smiled at her in affection and gave her the hug. The realization that it was easier for him to accept a hug from her then his mother, came to him, but he brushed it off. "It's good to see you too Bobbie."

"Carly has got to be on cloud nine," Bobbie spoke without thinking. "Sorry sometimes I need to think before I talk, are you okay with everything that has happened?"

Jason waited for her to sit at the table before dropping in the seat opposite her. "Carly and I would never have worked, not in that way. I'm glad she's let go of that dream finally."

"I hate to break it to you, but I don't know if my daughter will ever let go of the fantasy of you, her and Michael being together," Bobbie reminded him gently. Even though she was aware her daughter was falling hard for Sonny, Jason was now, and would always be, her security blanket. She wondered if he knew that.

"That's just a fantasy Bobbie."

"Maybe," Bobbie quirked a smile and let it drop. "I figured you would be back, what with Sonny being arrested. Have you seen Elizabeth yet? I know she's going to be thrilled to see you."

"I've seen her," Jason shifted on the chair to look towards the kitchen. "Is she working tonight? I need to talk to her."

"No she's off tonight, she works tomorrow," Bobbie stood and moved behind the counter to check the schedule. "She's due on at 11:00 tomorrow." She smiled when she saw him stand up. "I take it you don't want anything."

"No I need to talk to Elizabeth," Jason stepped closer to the redhead who had been his first attraction. "It's good to see you."

"Welcome home Jason," Bobbie called before heading into the kitchen.

Jason turned around and froze when he recognized the woman behind him.

****

~Pine Cone Motel~

V Ardnowski was doing her best to keep her considerable temper in check. She hated to be the clichéd redhead with the horrible temper, but that's what she was rapidly being turned into. Reminding herself that she didn't have her badge and gun to back up her requests anymore, she had to rely on something even more scary … tact.

"So Mr. Alejandro," V tried again. "About July 3rd…"

"It was a hot one, that night. A lot of the air conditioners were on the fritz, so I could only sell about half my units. It's funny how much money it takes to keep a place like this going," he gestured with the hand that wasn't holding the cigar. "As you can see I keep it in tiptop shape."

V glanced around the empty lobby. The puke green couch with the cigar burns in the upholstery, alongside the roadwork orange chairs, particularly stood out to her eye. "I can see that," tearing her eyes away from the hula skirted lamp she focused on her quarry again. "About the man who rented the room, you said you've seen him before. Did he look like any of these men?" V spread out a series of photos on the counter.

Alejandro never even looked down. "Yep it takes a lot to keep this motel running. Time, effort," he blew a puff of smoke in her face, "money."

Waving the smoke from her face V barely resisted the impulse to deck the hotel manager. Somehow she didn't think he would give her any information if she did. "I realize how much time you must put into your motel here that's why I'm very grateful for your willingness to take some time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions."

Alejandro decided that subtlety just wasn't going to work on this tall chica he decided to cut through the crap. "Look lady you want to know what I know, it's going to cost you."

Narrowing her eyes V took the gloves off. "Let's cut to the chase Mr. Alejandro. You have as near as I can tell 15 building code violations in the lobby alone."

"I do no… what do you mean?" Alejandro sputtered.

"Well there's no fire extinguishers that's a violation of Section 312, subsection (a)(4) of the Port Charles Building Code. But there's more. You have an animal problem in this establishment."

"I don't allow pets."

"I don't know many people who consider rats as pets, not to mention cockroaches that can eat the rats as pets, but maybe you do," V drawled viciously.

"Hey I run a respectable motel here…"

"You run a fleabag, one that the building inspectors would love to see. If you don't tell me what I want to know and now, I'll have the County Inspectors in this place so fast, your cigar will be put out by their dust, and just imagine how much money you'll be out then."

"There's no need to be rude, I was going to tell you," Alejandro spoke quickly and pointed to the photo of Ted Wilson. "He rented a room here that night."

"Was he alone?" Thrilled that her first hard negotiating tactic worked, she worked hard at keeping her grin of triumph off her face.

"No he had some chick with him, she looked pretty out of it."

V flipped her notebook open and began to take notes. "Can you describe her?"

****

~Sud's of Fun~

Pulling the last of her quarters from her pocket Elizabeth placed them in the coin slot and pushed. She had to start doing her laundry more often. Not only was it costly to do 12 loads at once, it also took forever. Habit had her checking her watch, it was already almost 10:00 she'd been here for hours. Glancing at her silent cellphone on a nearby dryer, Nikolas had been gone for almost an hour, and she couldn't tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing that he was still thinking about her plan.

She needed to think about something else, anything else. Well almost anything. If she weren't careful her thoughts would drift back to Jason and the uncertainty of her feelings for him. Sighing wearily she moved to an old beat-up radio that sat on the far counter, and turned it on, searching desperately for something that would attract her attention. For once she wished the Laundromat was busy, but unfortunately for her, she was the only one in it. 

When did life become so confusing? Just last week she'd been perfectly happy, grimacing she decided to stop lying to herself. She hadn't been perfectly happy, she'd been perfectly pretending as usual and pretending just wasn't enough anymore. She wanted more, she wanted to be happy and it seemed the only way that was going to happen was if she put herself first.

For such a selfish person, that was surprisingly hard for her to do. Maybe she had reformed too much and it was time to go back into brat mode. When she was selfish she didn't have quite so many problems, she'd had other problems of course but that was beside the point.

So the question was what made her happy? Or should she say who made her happy? The answer was so quick to her lips yet terrifying to say aloud. What if she was misreading everything? And in reality Jason only saw her as a friend. A close friend, yet a friend nevertheless, did she really want to risk the rejection of finding out?

__

I'm so scared that the way I feel is written all over my face,

When you walk into the room I wanna find a hiding place.

We used to laugh, we used to hug,

The way that old friends do.

But now a smile and a touch of your hand,

Just makes me come unglued.

It's such a contradiction, do I lie or tell the truth?

Is it fact or fiction the way I feel for you?

Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat as the lyrics coming through the scratchy radio washed over her.

__

It's so complicated,

I'm so frustrated,

I wanna hold you close, I wanna push you away,

I wanna make you go, I wanna make you stay.

Should I say it?

Should I tell you how I feel?

Oh I want you to know,

But then again I don't,

It's so complicated.

Moving closer to the radio Elizabeth felt like the singer was looking right into her confused heart and soul.

__

Just when I think I'm under control,

I think I finally got a grip.

Another friend tells me that,

My name is always on your lips.

They say I'm more then just a friend,

They say I must be blind.

Well I admit that I've seen you watch me,

From the corner of your eye.

Oh it's so confusing I wish you'd just confess.

But think of what I'd be losing,

If your answer wasn't yes.

Sinking onto the hard plastic chair, Elizabeth felt bereft.

__

It's so complicated,

I'm so frustrated.

I wanna hold you close, I wanna push you away,

I wanna make you go, I wanna make you stay.

Should I say it?

Should I tell you how I feel?

Oh I want you to know,

But then again I don't,

It's so complicated.

I hate it 'cause I've waited,

So long for someone like you,

Should I say it?

Should I tell you how I feel?

Oh I want you to know,

But then again I don't.

It's so complicated.

"Elizabeth?"

Startled by the soft voice so close to her, Elizabeth jumped off the chair, her head connecting soundly with the person's elbow, making them both groan. 

"Jesus Francis don't do that," Elizabeth snapped rubbing her now throbbing head.

"Don't worry I won't do it again," Francis Carnivale snapped back, refusing to rub his elbow even though he wanted to very badly. "What's with you? You were looking right at me, why did you jump?"

"Well obviously I didn't see you."

Recognizing the signs of her temper easily enough Francis tried another tact. "What were you thinking about so hard that got you so distracted?"

"I was thinking that I need to collect some royalties on that song," Elizabeth muttered.

"What?"

"Nevermind," Elizabeth launched herself at him to give him a hug. "I didn't know you were back from vacation. How was it? When did you get back? Did you have fun? Did you bring me anything?"

"Good, today, yes, and no." Francis answered her questions as quickly as she'd asked them.

Elizabeth focused on the most important answer. "No? Why not?" She pouted.

"You're a brat you know that," Francis informed her, before moving over to a washing machine and setting down his duffle.

"I embrace that though," she reminded him with a grin.

Shaking his head he began to pull out his laundry. Elizabeth moved over, grateful to see her friend, and even more grateful to have a distraction from her thoughts.

"Elizabeth why are you here at this time of night, alone?" Francis asked suddenly.

Her eyes widened in surprise at his tone. Peering up at him through her lashes she recognized the expression on his face. "Does Sonny train you guys to all have the same expression?" He frowned at her. "I'm serious, you, Johnny, Jason, heck even Sonny get this look of disapproval on your face and you can pull it out at a drop of the hat."

"Your trying to distract me and it won't work. You promised me you wouldn't do your laundry late at night by yourself," Francis reminded her with a strong look that had her shifting. "Don't you remember the discussion we had just a few weeks ago? A discussion in which you…"

"Alright you busted me. I'm here when I said I wouldn't be. What are you going to do arrest me?" Elizabeth grumbled.

"Don't be like that, you know I'm just concerned. I don't want to tell you where to be or when to be there, but it can be dangerous for a woman at night, especially in this neighborhood." Francis explained as gently as he could.

"I know, I just had to get out of the studio, and I was out of clothes," she smiled slightly. "My laundry buddy went on vacation."

"Hey you've ditched me for several weeks now," he shot back.

"Hence the need to do laundry. I won't do it again Francis I promise. Can we move on now?" Elizabeth pleaded with her eyes.

Barely sparing her a glance Francis put some clothes in the machine. "Put the eyes away Elizabeth they don't work on me." And they didn't at least not anymore. Or at least he liked to tell himself that. Since the first time he was assigned to guard her, she had slipped through his own personal guard, like no other assignment had. Instead of just being a person to protect, she had slid into being his friend. As a man who didn't have many friends it was very surprising, how close they had become.

"I need your advice." Elizabeth handed him the soap. 

"I don't do advice."

"Yes you do, besides you're a man, and I need a man's opinion."

"Talk to Johnny," Francis ordered.

"No. You. I know you better, I trust you more, and I like the way the tips of your ears get red when you get embarrassed. Kind of like now," she finished with a teasing grin.

"Don't do this to me," Francis pleaded.

"I'll tell you what, I'll make you a deal. You give me your honest opinion, and I won't question why," she reached into the pile of clothes. "You're washing a purple bra with your stuff."

"Deal." Francis snatched the bra from her hand and shoved it deep in the duffle bag. "What do you want to know?"

Elizabeth tried to figure out a way to phrase the question without giving herself away. "Let's say a friend of yours, a woman, kisses you out of the blue. Would you respond, and then try to let her down gently? Or would you back off right away?"

Panicked his eyes sought her out.

"Relax I'm not going to jump you."

Relieved Francis' mind raced. He knew she was probably talking about Lucky and he wasn't real willing to encourage her when it came to Lucky. The boy had changed a lot since his return, and since he had come back he seemed to excel at hurting Elizabeth. He didn't like that, on more then one occasion he had found Elizabeth upset, or worse crying because of something Lucky had done. The last few weeks, she hadn't been as upset, he'd been hoping that she wasn't seeing Lucky as often.

"Francis?"

He was going to be honest, but if he happened to push her in the right direction at the same time, it could only be for her benefit. "I'd probably respond then let her down as gently as I could. If she was my friend I wouldn't want to hurt her, although I probably would."

Swallowing hard Elizabeth focused on her feet. "I thought so, you're a lot like him, that's probably what's going on." She remembered this morning when he had tried to mention the kiss and she had dodged him. Jason was probably going to let her down then, but she had cut him off.

At one point being compared to Lucky Spencer would have been a compliment but that time had long since passed. Francis kept his opinion to himself, knowing Elizabeth didn't feel the same.

Depressed Elizabeth moved over to her laundry basket and began to fold her sheets. "Do men play games? You know give out fake signals?" She looked up at him when he took a corner of the sheet to help her. "Or is it just because I don't know how to read the correct signs?"

"I don't understand."

"Well first I was too young to know what I was doing, or what to look for. Then after the ra…" she stopped herself before she went too far. "Well I wasn't looking for any kind of attention from anybody. Then Lucky was there, and I was sort of oblivious to anyone else. When he died I shut down again, grief was all I knew for so long." 

Francis was quiet, content to listen.

"Now that I'm trying to read and make sense of signals, I realize I don't have a clue. I'm almost 19 and I have no clue as to what I'm doing when it comes to dating. Does that make me pathetic?"

"Of course not. Elizabeth I'm older than you, and more experienced, and let me tell you I've never gotten a signal from a woman right." He shook his head. "I doubt I ever will. Women are tricky."

Giving up on her laundry she moved back to the chairs and sat down. "I guess it doesn't matter now, I was obviously misreading him."

Okay so maybe he wasn't as immune to those eyes of hers as he'd hoped, Francis realized as he found himself compelled to give her an out to cheer her up. "You could always ask him."

"But think of what I'd be losing, if your answer wasn't yes," Elizabeth quoted the lyrics softly to herself.

****

~Kelly's~

"Mrs. Hardy," Jason said politely then stepped back so the older woman could pass, but she didn't move.

"I didn't realize you were back in town Jason."

"I returned a few days ago."

"I see your already searching out Elizabeth," Audrey Hardy commented coolly.

Jason kept his expression neutral. "I should be going."

"Wait," Audrey held up her hand holding him in place. "When you left last January, Elizabeth said it was partly in an effort to protect her. Is that true?"

"Partially," he didn't normally explain his actions. But he decided to make an effort for Elizabeth.

"Since you're back I assume the danger to my Granddaughter is over? Because she was in danger when you were in town, and she was still in danger even after you left, so seeing you here now, makes wonder, and worry."

"I would never deliberately place Elizabeth in any danger Mrs. Hardy." Jason stated shortly.

"I believe you wouldn't Jason," sighing Audrey clutched her purse tighter in her hands. "I'm not trying to cruel Jason or mean. But you have to realize danger follows you around. You were shot in Robin Scorpio's living room, Robin was almost blown up in your car, Elizabeth had a bomb in her studio, all because of you."

"Mrs. Hardy…"

"Jason I'm not accusing you of deliberately trying to hurt Elizabeth or Robin. I just want to make sure that your aware of the trouble that seems to follow you and those close to you around. I love my Granddaughter very much, and even though she will be no doubt be very angry with me once she finds out about our discussion, I can't help but be worried for her."

"What do you want me to do?" Jason asked wearily.

Smiling slightly Audrey merely shook her head. "I'm not sure there is anything you can do Jason. Elizabeth is very stubborn, and she has made it pointedly clear that she wants you in her life. There's nothing I can say to convince her to stay away from you I know that. I doubt there's anything anyone can say to make her stay away if she doesn't want to. I just want you to be careful with her."

****

~Dock's~

Glancing at her watch Emily couldn't help but wonder where Elizabeth could be. She wasn't at Kelly's and her studio was dark. There was no answer on her cell, and Emily wasn't quite ready to call her brother to look for Elizabeth. 

What if she were with Jason? She still didn't know about how she felt about her best friend possibly dating her brother. She already had too much upheaval in her life, why couldn't things just settle down for awhile?

"Then you wouldn't be living in Port Charles," she grumbled and turned to head for Kelly's. She'd only taken a step when she recognized the person staring at the water at the end of the jetty.

Emily would know that stance and hair color anywhere. She began to walk again, quietly trying not to attract his attention. Her feet came to a stop and she couldn't help but study him. She knew that particular stance. He was hurting and she couldn't turn her back on that.

Saying a mental prayer to Nikolas to ask for forgiveness for breaking her promise to stay away from him, Emily walked down the steps and crossed over to him. "Hey Lucky. What are you doing?" 

****

~Penthouse 2~

"Thanks again for meeting me," Alexis said.

"That's the third time you've thanked me Alexis," Sonny told her, taking the glass from her slightly shaking hand. "I think it's time for you to tell me what it is you've been trying not to tell me since I got here."

"Alright I'll give it to you straight. That's what I'm best at, and that's why you hired me because I cut through all the crap to get to the basics," Alexis began. "I've spent a lot of time researching all the evidence against you with these latest set of charges. It doesn't look good. With the circumstantial evidence conjoined with Carly's testimony this is the strongest case that's been brought against you."

"Carly won't testify."

"At this point Carly could get on the stand and lie and it wouldn't matter. Dara can argue, more then likely successfully, that she is lying either because of intimidation or because she's in love with you. Bottom line if Carly takes the stand your sunk."

"With Carly's history how could that be?" Sonny moved over to refill his scotch.

"You've forgotten your own history. You've beaten a lot of raps because you've had the best attorney on the east coast, or because of some sort of deal I don't even want to know the details of. You might have beaten the raps but the history that you were charged with them is still common knowledge," Alexis pulled her glasses off to rub at her nose. "If it was just Carly's testimony I could decimate her in a second. But if you factor in the evidence, no matter how superficial it is, and you're going to go down."

"That doesn't sound like the best attorney in New York talking."

"Sonny I'm an attorney not a miracle worker, or as like some in my profession claim to be, I'm not god either. I'm telling you with this evidence, if Carly testifies your going to jail."

Strangely the news that he would be going to jail didn't upset him that much. He'd known this was serious, having it confirmed by Alexis only caused him relief at the moment. "So you're telling me that one way or the other Carly can't testify."

"I'm choosing to ignore your phrasing there and will continue on giving you my own hypothetical suggestions. Please bare in mind these are only hypotheticals because I cannot condone nor promote any sort of illegal activity. I'm an officer of the Court and am duty bound to report any such impropriety."

"Of course Alexis. But you are allowed to talk in what if's aren't you?" Sonny knew how to play the game.

Nodding Alexis moved to the chair and sat down. "If Carly were to take a vacation, to some country that had no extradition for a period of 7 years, that would be one way of her avoiding the need to testify. Again this is only a hypothetical situation.

"Of course." Sonny perched on the couch near her. "Any other hypotheticals?"

"Just one," suddenly Alexis didn't know what to do with her hands. 

"What's that?" Watching her uneasiness he couldn't help but feel the first flicker of alarm.

She forced herself to look in his dark eyes. "Did you know that a wife can't be forced to testify against her husband?"

****

~Studio~

"So purple?" Elizabeth began. "I never would have picked you for that color. Green yes, but purple no."

"You said you weren't going to ask me questions about the bra," Francis reminded her.

"Am I asking questions?" Elizabeth teased.

"You promised."

"I said no questions, I said nothing about teasing."

Shaking his head Francis made a mental note to kill someone the next time he saw her. He could only pray that Elizabeth wouldn't let anything slip in front of Johnny or he would never have any peace again.

"Don't drip ice cream on my nice clean clothes," Elizabeth ordered before her own tongue darted out to take a swipe at her cone before the frigid filling could overflow on her hand.

"Judging from the size of the bra you like…." she trailed off when she noticed her partially open door. It was a new door, but she distinctly remembered locking it with a key before leaving a few hours before.

Noticing her stillness Francis looked for the cause. He saw the unfamiliar door where her apartment was, and more then that he noticed it was ajar. Moving quickly he set her laundry down against the wall and pulled her behind him. Crouching he pulled a gun out of his ankle holster. "Stay here."

Her eyes went wide when she saw the gun and she merely nodded but her mind was racing. What if Zander had found out where she lived and was waiting for her? What if he was armed? What if he wasn't alone? What if Francis got hurt? What if she stopped acting like a ninny and moved closer, she told herself and crept up behind Francis.

Francis turned to glare at her and motioned her back, but she defiantly shook her head. Not wanting to waste time arguing with her, he turned back to the door just in time to see it open. Without thinking twice he raised the gun and pointed it at the man standing there, his finger tight on the trigger.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

__

Song Credit: Complicated by Carolyn Dawn Johnson

Author's note: If I could write a song for Liason, this is the song that I would have written. To me it's a perfect description of their relationship, especially in the earlier days. I'm so thrilled I finally found it.


	13. I always liked the taste of strawberry

****

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 13

****

~Kelly's~

"Wait up Nikolas."

Hearing his name Nikolas automatically came to a stop, turning around he couldn't help but sigh when he recognized who was calling him. "Hello Gia."

Slowing her pace to a leisurely strut she frowned at his less than warm welcome. "Don't act so happy to see me."

Trying to swallow his frustration Nikolas deliberately smoothed out his features and worked up a slight smile.

"Better," crossing her arms over her chest she waited.

"Was there something you wanted Gia or did you just stop me to stare again?" He prompted after another moment.

The urge to smile came over her and Gia deliberately buried it. A smile didn't fit her image but a smirk would, so that's what she did. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Alright I won't. I'll just leave," he replied easily and turned away.

"Wait." Gia snapped immediately and took a step after him, he really had to quit walking out on her. She'd fought long and hard with her conscience for hours over whether or not she should tell someone about Zander. Her earlier attempt had ended in failure so she was about to let it slide, but in the end, couldn't. It wasn't in her personality to voluntarily give information yet at the same time it wasn't in her to let someone get hurt if she could help it either. Besides if Zander did do something to Elizabeth, she knew somehow, someway the blame would fall squarely on her.

"Gia?"

"I saw Zander today." She blurted it out before she could change her mind yet again.

Instantly concerned Nikolas moved closer. "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you did he?" His eyes raked over her, remembering her earlier confrontation with Zander on the docks.

Blinking in surprise at the genuine concern she saw in his face, she shook her head. He was concerned about her even though he really didn't like her. She didn't think men like him existed outside of fairy tales.

"What happened?" Nikolas asked.

Picking her words carefully Gia launched into the story she'd carefully prepared beforehand. She may be giving information but there were certain details that she had no intention of telling anyone. "I ran into him on Charles Street. He started asking me a lot of questions."

Putting a hand on her back Nikolas led her to one of the small tables and pulled out a chair for her before sitting across from her. "Questions about what?"

"Elizabeth mainly. Our cop killer seems to have a healthy fascination for the waitress, no accounting for taste," she muttered under her breath causing his eyes to narrow in warning.

"Did he seem suspicious of her?"

"No, he's interested in her, as in wanting to date her." She rolled her eyes in spite of the warning. "Whatever it is about her, she's snared another one with it. What is it about her? Is it the grease smell of the diner?"

"Gia," his sharp voice cut her off. "Did he do or say anything else?"

"Not really. I ran into him and he pumped me for info about Elizabeth." Gia deliberately kept her eyes on his. "There is one other thing. While we were talking that guy no one wants me to meet went by us."

"Who?" 

"Jason. Emily's scary brother," she explained. "He walked by us and Zander seemed to recognize him."

"Does he know Jason knows Elizabeth?" Nikolas asked quickly.

Gia never even hesitated, the lie rolled off her tongue with practiced ease. "I don't think so. He never mentioned Jason by name, I just saw the recognition on his face."

Nikolas was quiet while he pondered her words. He didn't like the fact that Zander liked Elizabeth. If they went through with Lucky's plan tomorrow night that little fact could hurt them. Elizabeth's plan, though a little scary, was starting to look more appealing to him.

"Earth to Nikolas," Gia snapped her fingers in front of his face to get his attention.

"Sorry." Manners had him apologizing quickly. 

"I also found out where the rave is being held," Gia offered. "I told your creepy brother when I saw him."

"You saw Lucky? Where was he?"

"He's on the docks." Gia answered and when she saw his eyes shift in that direction she knew she was about to get ditched. Not wanting that to happen she got to her feet first. "So I came and told you and now I'm leaving this dreary place."

Rising automatically when she did Nikolas nodded. "Thanks for telling me."

"Yeah well I knew if I didn't somehow I'd get blamed if the waitress got hurt." She retorted sourly.

"Wait," he stopped her before she could move far and held out some money. "Take a cab home. It's too late for you to be walking alone or to be on the bus."

Caught off-guard once again by the unaccustomed manners and concern for her well being Gia was slow to take the money he offered.

"I'd take you home myself but I need to speak to Lucky." Nikolas explained before holding out another bill and this time she took it. "I'll be in touch about tomorrow."

"Alright." Out of sarcastic comments for the moment Gia merely smiled once in farewell.

Nikolas waited for her to leave the courtyard before heading for the docks. Lucky and him were long overdue for a talk.

****

~Studio~

Reacting before he even fully registered the gun in his face Jason ducked and brought his hand up slamming it hard against the hand holding the gun, altering its position and trying to force his assailant to drop the weapon entirely. His other hand automatically moved to the gun that should have been snug against his back and belatedly realized he had moved it to his ankle holster in anticipation of seeing Elizabeth. Changing his focus instantly he began moving again only to come to a halt when he recognized the person he was jousting with. "Francis?"

"Jason." Francis relaxed his now stinging grip on the gun and put it back in its holster. The adrenaline he always felt in the heat of battle was still with him and it took a moment longer for his nerves to settle. "I see you still have those catlike reflexes."

Shaking his head slightly Jason corrected his friend. "And you still keep a firm grip on the gun. I would have been dead," he announced taking the hand Francis had extended in welcome.

"Ah male bonding. Isn't that so sweet?" Elizabeth spoke from behind Francis and both men glared at her. "Am I allowed to come inside now?"

"It's your place," Jason informed her with a wry grin and moved out of the way.

Rolling her eyes Elizabeth thrust a dripping ice cream cone at Francis and bent over to pick up some of the mountains of piled laundry that was against the wall. She was very careful not to let her own ice cream cone drip on her now clean clothes.

Jason stepped out in the hall to help while Francis disappeared inside the studio with a basket of clothes. "Let me help."

"Thanks," Elizabeth made sure she grabbed the basket with her under things and led the way in the studio. "Just put it on the bed, I'll put them away later."

Nodding Jason did as he was ordered. Shifting to let Francis go by him to get more laundry his curiosity was aroused. What was Francis doing with Elizabeth? Setting down the basket on the now overflowing bed he turned in time to see Francis open a cabinet next to the sink and put the laundry detergent away. He opened another cabinet and tucked the fabric softener out of sight. The ease and familiarity in which Francis made the movements told Jason that it wasn't the first time that he'd done it.

Puzzled his focus shifted to Elizabeth who had just said something to Francis that he couldn't hear. The ease in which she was standing and her proximity to Francis spoke volumes to him. He didn't see any of the distance she normally put between herself and other men. Instead she seemed very comfortable with Francis. A strange and unfamiliar emotion settled in the pit of his stomach. Her tongue darted out to lick at her melting ice cream and another emotion gripped him lower than the previous one. He must have made some noise, because both Francis and Elizabeth turned to look at him.

Jason may not have known what the emotion was that was twisting his gut but Francis had no problem reading the mixture of anger and jealousy in his friend's eyes. Seeing it he deliberately shifted away from Elizabeth not wanting to give Jason even more of a wrong impression. Her words from the Laundromat came back to him and if he could he would have cursed. Judging from the way she was trying not to look at Jason, she hadn't been talking about Lucky at all. And judging from the way Jason was watching her she definitely wasn't misreading the signs, like she'd thought. 

That mean the advice he'd given her wasn't the right advice. His advice had been meant for Lucky not Jason. Shit he'd messed up. Elizabeth broke the silence by taking a bite of her cone and the sound spurred him into speaking. "I didn't know you were back in town Jason."

"I got back a few days ago," Jason explained. "I heard you were on vacation."

"Yeah I just got back as well." Francis threw his cone away and went to the sink to wash his hands.

Jason was struck again at the familiarity Francis seemed to have about Elizabeth's studio when Francis opened a drawer and pulled out a clean towel.

"Did we have a meeting I forgot about?" Elizabeth asked Jason.

"Yeah we had a date."

Elizabeth's eyes went wide and she inhaled hard. Unfortunately for her she'd just taken a bite of her cone and immediately began coughing when it went down wrong. Her eyes were brilliant with unshed tears, and she had two very large and worried men crowding her when she finally got her breath back. "W-what?"

"We were going to talk about the car you wanted to buy," Jason explained.

Francis groaned and shook his head. "Tell me you didn't go back to Easy Al's. Elizabeth I told you the guy is nothing but a thief. Any car you get there is bound for Lemonville."

"Shut up Francis." Elizabeth ordered and bypassing the sink she chose instead to lick the dripping ice cream from her hand.

Jason's eyes couldn't help but follow every moment of her small pink tongue and the unaccustomed feeling turned into one he recognized as desire, as an oblivious Elizabeth continued her ministrations and moved to the couch.

Never being an oblivious person Francis cleared his throat and knew it was time to go. "I have to leave." He could see the desire on Jason's face, but more than that he could see the caring as well and that reassured him. But at the same time he could see the obliviousness on Elizabeth's face. She was right she didn't know how to read the signs, and unfortunately for her Jason didn't give out very many.

"No don't go." Elizabeth shot off the couch and closed the distance between them quickly. She didn't want to be alone with Jason, at least not yet. Not until she was sure she wouldn't make an idiot out of herself by making a pass at him or something. She kept replaying those kisses she'd caught him off-guard with last night and earlier in the day and was afraid she'd try for another one if she were left alone with him. And that could lead to rejection. She didn't deal very well with rejection.

"I promised Johnny I would meet up with him so I got to go." Francis' move to the door was stopped when a sticky hand clutched his arm. "Elizabeth."

"Stay," she hissed under her breath and pleaded with her eyes. "Please."

Francis pulled her loose and shook his head. "Forget what I told you earlier and talk to him."

"What did you tell her earlier?" Jason's question reminded them of his presence and her eyes filled in distress.

"Just some junk about when to add bleach, I remembered I was wrong," Francis gave a very lame excuse. "Remember what I said about not doing laundry by yourself at night anymore."

"I won't have to now that my laundry buddy is back," Elizabeth tried to grab his arm to force him to stay but he was too quick for her. Reluctantly she trailed him to the door. The temptation to grab a hold of him and not let him out of the apartment was strong. "Talk to you soon?"

"Yes." As if reading her thoughts he shot her a warning glare before focusing on Jason. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Jason nodded in dismissal.

Stalling as long as she could she waited for Francis to turn the corner before slowly closing the door. The latch didn't catch right away and she pressed on it again until the door caught and then slowly turned around. Her eyes widened when she realized how close Jason had moved without her realizing it. "So what did you find out about my car?" She asked a little breathlessly.

"I don't want to talk about the car right now," Jason said softly before moving even closer.

Swallowing hard she did her best to keep her eyes on his face. "What do you want to talk about?"

Coming to a stop, inches away from her Jason reached out and touched her cheek. Drawing first one finger than another down the exquisite softness of her skin he brought his finger to the corner of her mouth, and touched the remnant of ice cream that was there. 

"What kind of ice cream?" Not bothering to wait for her reply he brought his finger back to his mouth and licked it in experimentation.

Hypnotized by his movements her reply sounded like it was coming from a long way off. "Strawberry," she whispered. "I'd offer you some but it's all gone."

"Not quite," his voice was low and compelling, bringing his finger back to her mouth he rubbed lightly at the small spot of ice cream, but it had dried to her face.

His eyes met hers and she saw a gleam in them that she'd never seen before. And whatever it was caused the air to back up in her lungs. Surprising them both, he lowered his head his tongue flicked out cleaning off the spot of ice cream that remained on the corner of her mouth. Before she could fully comprehend what he had done he shifted his head, and his tongue swirled against the other side of her mouth.

"I always liked the taste of strawberry," he murmured huskily. The temptation to work his way over her lips until all trace of the ice cream was gone, was strong. And judging from the invitation he saw, in her half-closed eyes, she wouldn't stop him.

The muted ringing of his cellphone stopped him before he could decide and Jason didn't even bother to stop the curse as he reluctantly backed away. With an apologetic sigh he opened his phone and all but snarled in the receiver. "Yeah?"

****

~Pinecone Motel~

Shifting in her seat V Ardnowski tried in vain to find a comfortable position. The spring that she'd been meaning to get fixed, kept jutting out against her back and it made the idea of comfort laughable. It was times like this that she missed her police cruiser. As ugly as the car was it had provided lots of legroom, which came in handy during a stakeout. 

Frowning at the gearbox in the floor she realized the one impulse buy that she'd ever allowed herself was going to have to be replaced. The emerald green Mazda Miata had been a fun car to tool around in, and it cornered like a dream, but it was not a car you wanted to spend hours of a time in. Regretfully she realized she was going to have to trade it in for something more practical.

Inhaling deeply she caught a whiff of new car smell and her frown deepened. The car was fun and she didn't want to give it up. But she knew she needed to be practical. Sometimes she hated being practical. Sniffing again, her nose wrinkled when she thought she caught a whiff of coffee. Not just any coffee, good coffee she could tell that much. Inhaling again she jolted in surprise when the passenger door opened and a long, lean body poured its way into the low bucket seat.

"What are you doing here?" V demanded.

"Entertaining my lover?" Jax offered with a wry grin.

"Jax I'm working here. You need to leave, now," she ordered.

Ignoring her order, Jax set one of the steaming cups of coffee on the dash and opened the other cup, inhaling the rich aroma with a deep sigh, he took a sip. From the corner of his eye he saw the way her eyes had locked on the coffee, and barely managed to swallow the grin. He'd learned early on in business that if you wanted to get anywhere with hostile takeovers you needed to know your opponent's weaknesses. Coffee, good coffee, happened to be V's. "What are we looking for?" He asked conversationally.

Trying to ignore the coffee, V strove to hang on to her anger. "We are not doing anything I am on a stakeout, and you are leaving."

"I always wondered where they came up with the name stakeout." Ignoring her groan he took another sip and deliberately sighed.

"I don't know where they got the name," she retorted automatically. Was that Irish Crème or Bavarian roast? Working for and being with Jax had one definite benefit, she was able to feed her need for good coffee, without breaking her budget.

Knowing he was winning he decided to play his ace. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a wrapped piece of candy, the wrapping was distinctive even in the dark interior of the car and he heard her inhale sharply when she placed it. He slowly unwrapped the Butterscotch Truffle, and heard her sigh. He was keeping the Australian company The Chocolate Boutique busy with his frequent orders of the Bonbonniere confectionary, in an attempt to make V happy. "So I ask again what are we looking for?" Jax asked.

No one could withstand the sight and smell of truffles and coffee. Giving in she snatched the truffle out of his hand before he could eat it and settled back in her seat. "The hotel manager remembers a lot more than he told the police. Like the fact Ted Wilson used to come here with a lot of different girls, and that he remembers seeing him the night Wilson disappeared." Stopping her story she sunk her teeth in the decadent chocolate and almost moaned.

He'd never been jealous of chocolate before he met her. Shaking the realization off he held out the extra cup of coffee to her. "He was here with a girl? That doesn't say much for his fiancée does it?"

"We don't know for sure what was going on," V reminded him tartly her defense of a fellow police officer was so ingrained it came out naturally even though she was no longer a cop. 

"Right," not wanting to fight he focused on the motel again. "Anything else?"

"Several things. Another guy showed up a little after Wilson, and apparently he comes to this hotel a lot as well. Alejandro wasn't extremely happy but he finally told me that the other guy spent a long time talking to someone in a Caddy before they disappeared around back, near the room that Wilson always rented," she shot him a grin. "You'll never guess who drives a Caddy pretty much everywhere he goes."

"Somehow I bet you're not talking about Luke Spencer." Jax replied sourly.

"No this Caddy was black not pink. Black like the one Sorel drives." V's smile was a brilliant flash of light in the dark car. "You want to hear what else I found out? It's pretty interesting."

****

~Dock's~

"Hey Emily," Lucky greeted her at after a minute but kept his focus on Spoon Island.

Rocking on the balls of her feet Emily looked at the island as well. "So what's going on?"

Lucky shrugged. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" Emily asked. He didn't look upset so that either meant that he hadn't seen Nikolas yet or he'd forgotten about it. Neither option was very appealing.

"Everything," he slanted a grin in her direction, "and nothing."

"That's helpful," she answered with a grin of her own. It was rare she saw him in this sort of playful mood, he used to be like this all the time, but that was before the fire.

Feeling unusually free at the moment Lucky moved quickly and picked her up spinning her around in a wide circle.

Unprepared for the move Emily gripped his shoulders in alarm. "Lucky put me down."

"Nope." Eager to tease Lucky spun her again this time faster than before. Emily let out a little screech, which he interpreted as a laugh and spun again. When someone yelled his name from behind them he almost dropped her in surprise.

Emily's heart was pounding when her feet finally found the ground again and almost instantly she found Nikolas by her side, pulling her further away from Lucky.

"Are you okay? He didn't hurt you did he?" Nikolas' eyes raked over her looking for injury while he demanded an answer.

"I'm fine. He just startled me." Emily answer was weak because she was still a little out of breath.

"Of course I didn't hurt her," Lucky sniped. "Jeez what is your problem?"

"You've hurt her before," Nikolas informed his brother icily.

"I've never hurt Emily, I would never hurt her." Lucky retorted, his anger fading into shock when Nikolas merely pushed the sleeves of Emily's shirt up exposing a series of angry looking bruises on her arms. "What happened?"

"Do you not remember doing this to her yesterday?" Nikolas asked. He hadn't planned on confronting Lucky this way, but when he'd heard Emily's scream all plans fell by the wayside.

"Nikolas," Emily tried to pulled her sleeves down.

"I-I did that?" Lucky stuttered, reaching out he took her hand to study the bruising on her wrist.

"Yes you did. You also scared the hell out of her yesterday afternoon, and again last night." Nikolas coolly took Emily's hand away from Lucky and shifted so he was between her and his brother.

A part of Lucky recognized Nikolas protective stance and that part of him recoiled. "You think I'll hurt her again, don't you?"

"I don't know what you will do Lucky and it's painfully obvious that you don't know either. So until you get yourself under control again I don't want you alone with either Emily, Elizabeth, or Lulu."

"Nikolas," Emily cried out sharply in protest, the pain on Lucky's face getting to her.

"And," Nikolas arched a brow in her direction. "Emily has agreed not to be alone with you either," he saw her flush and lower her eyes and turned back to his brother. "You need help Lucky."

Shaking his head Lucky tried to block the words but they filtered though anyway, and try as he might he couldn't banish the image of the Emily's bruises from his mind. He couldn't have done that. He would never hurt her, yet he remembered her stark white face the day before, he remembered her yelp in fear and pain, and the memories began to scare him.

"Lucky you attacked her. And if you add that fact to your blackouts and there is obviously something very wrong with you." Nikolas pressed.

Stepping back as if he'd been punched Lucky shifted his accusing glare on Emily. "You told him. You broke your promise and told him."

"Don't yell at her," Nikolas ordered. "She told me because she realized that you needed more help than she could give you."

"I'm fine." Lucky snarled "I know what I'm doing, I just seemed to have trusted the wrong people." When he saw Emily flinch he smirked.

"So you meant to put bruises on Emily and almost rape her yesterday?" Nikolas asked bluntly.

"Nikolas!" Emily smacked his back trying to get him to shut up. "It wasn't that bad."

Nikolas ignored her protest, his face remained locked on his brother. At his words Lucky seemed to close himself off and a strange look crossed his face. It was a look Nikolas had never seen before, but one look in the vacant eyes told Nikolas he never wanted to see it again. For the first time he finally let himself consider the fact that there was something seriously wrong with his brother. 

Even the sight of Emily's bruises, and hearing her story, hadn't caused him this much concern. A part of him had believed that Lucky couldn't have changed that much. But now faced with the walking proof of that change, reality crashed into him hard. Lucky was in need of serious help.

Lucky could see the confusion and uncertainty on their faces and a part of him wanted to reassure them. He wanted to tell him that he was fine. But another part of him was feeling so incredibly angry that all he wanted to do was lash out at both of them. Emily for telling his secrets, and Nikolas for confronting him. 

But then there was the voice in his head again. It was a voice he could never identify, but one he could never ignore. And it was telling him that he was never, ever supposed to hurt Nikolas. The voice won out, as it always did, his anger drained, and his expression cleared. Now when he saw the concern on their faces he knew what to say. "I'm sorry I hurt you Emily. I'm even sorrier that I scared you," his words were sincere, as was the look on his face.

"Its okay I know you didn't mean it." Emily was always quick to forgive.

"Still it shouldn't have happened and I promise it won't happen again," Lucky continued.

Slightly unnerved at Lucky's sudden calmness Nikolas refused to let his guard down and instead kept the pressure up. "What about the blackouts? Like the one you just seemed to have?"

"I didn't have a blackout," Lucky corrected him. "I was just trying to find the words, not to mention come to grips with the fact that I'd hurt my oldest friend."

"You're lyin … oww." Nikolas turned to glare at Emily when she stomped hard on his foot.

"What Nikolas means to say is that we both think you need to see a professional so we can find out what is causing these memory lapses, and your anger." Emily interjected.

"My anger?"

"Yes your anger. You never used to go around starting fights, sure you'd hit me for no reason every now and then, but I tend to think that was because I was special. But as a rule you never used to attack people." Nikolas pointed out sarcastically and earned another stomp on his foot from Emily.

"No doctors." Lucky immediately shook his head. The idea of seeing a doctor was enough to make him upset again.

Deliberately shifting out of Emily's range Nikolas kept his tone reasonable hoping to get through to his brother. "Lucky it's obvious that something is wrong with you. If I were honest I'd have to admit that it's been obvious ever since you first returned to town. Whenever it started, the fact remains I can't keep ignoring it anymore. You haven't been acting like yourself and it's more than just the fact that you were locked up for months. At times you act like a different person, and that person isn't someone any of us wants to know."

"Why do you say that?" Lucky immediately went on the defensive. "Is it because I'm saying things that you don't want to hear? Or is it because I'm saying things the your too afraid to say yourself. Like the fact that you're in love with and want Elizabeth."

Emily held her breath watching Nikolas closely to see his reaction to Lucky's taunt but Nikolas' expression never changed.

"You just proved my point Lucky," Nikolas answered calmly. "You never used to be deliberately taunting like that and you would have never disrespected Elizabeth like that. Something is going on with you and I'm not going to ignore that fact any longer."

Not liking where the conversation was heading Helena Cassadine chose that moment to make her presence known. "Nikolas I thought I recognized the delightful sound of your voice."

Nikolas didn't even try to keep the anger from his face when he faced his Grandmother. "Believe it or not Helena I am glad to see you."

His words caught her by surprise but Helena was too seasoned to show it. "I am flattered that the Prince is happy to see me. What can I do for you?"

"I need you to do me a favor." Nikolas moved closer and lowered his voice so the others wouldn't hear.

"I would do anything for you. You should know that by now."

"Good then tell me what you and Faison did to my brother," he demanded.

"Why must you always view me with suspicious eyes?" Helena asked. "I have tried to give you what it is you want. I knew how terribly you missed your brother so when I discovered he was alive I did everything I could to return him to you. I asked nothing from you in return, but perhaps a smile. Instead I received nothing but suspicion and second guessing as to my true motives."

"Wrong Helena I've always watched you with suspicious eyes, my uncle taught me that," he corrected her smoothly.

"Isn't it a pity about Stefan?" Skillfully she changed the subject and noted the way Nikolas' eyes grew shadowed at the mention of Stefan's name. The sight of that pleased her. "If he would have turned those suspicious eyes, as you call them, on the real threat to his safety he might still be alive. But he was too blinded by his misbegotten love of Laura to realize that death was stalking him in the form of Luke Spencer. Or perhaps it was Laura, after all, who did him in."

"Neither my mother nor Luke killed my uncle, if he is in fact dead." Nikolas maintained some hope, and tried to swallow the grief and pain his uncle's disappearance caused. Instead he focused the conversation back on Lucky. "I want to thank you for proving my point about Lucky, Helena."

Confusion flittered briefly over Helena's features. "Whatever do you mean?"

"If Lucky were acting like himself he would have been all over you after those remarks about Laura and Luke. Even when they didn't get along he still defended his family, especially to you." He turned to look at a pale-faced Lucky who was quietly listening. "The fact he didn't proves that either you or Faison did something to him," he turned back to her again. "And I want to know what it was."

"Lucky don't you have something to say to that?" Helena focused on the boy. "Nikolas seems to think I'm somehow controlling you, or some such nonsense."

Her voice prodded Lucky out of his trance and he glared at Nikolas. "So because I've decided that I'm tired of being punished because of what my parents did to me and lied about in the past, and I've decided to shut them out of my life. And because I've decided that I'm not in love with Elizabeth anymore and that I think she might make you happy, and you make her happy, that means I've lost my mind?"

Refusing, for once, to be put off by the anger, Nikolas merely shook his head. "I didn't say you've lost your mind. I said you need some help. You're losing time Lucky. You're hurting people, you can't control your temper. Those are the reasons why you need help."

Shaking in anger and ignoring the voice that was screaming in his head, Lucky stalked over to Nikolas. "I think you're the one who needs help Nikolas. And since you seem to think I'm dangerous to be around I better leave."

"Lucky wait," Emily hurried after him only to jerk to a halt when faced with the cold expression in his eyes when he turned on her.

"I trusted you Emily," Lucky whispered harshly. "Out of everyone in my life I chose to trust you and you betrayed me. Nikolas may be right. I may have changed, but so have you and it's not for the better. You've turned into a true Quartermaine Emily. And we all know what kind of lying, manipulative, and untrustworthy people they are,"

"Lucky!" Nikolas cried sharply.

Ignoring him and ignoring the tears in Emily's eyes Lucky turned around and disappeared into the night gloom of the docks.

"Well that was most unpleasant." Helena commented with a sly smile. Her smile faltered when Nikolas focused on her again. The expression on his face was one she'd never seen him wear before. But it was one that she'd seen before from both Stavros and Mikkos. The sight of it now, although a little unnerving, thrilled her. Nikolas was becoming a true Cassadine.

"If I find out that you had something to do with what is wrong with Lucky." Nikolas broke off, uncomfortable with the revenge minded thoughts filling his mind. "Emily I'll take you home, it looks like a storm is coming.

Nodding slowly Emily wiped at the tears and moved quietly when Nikolas took her arm. Lucky had looked at her with such a look of betrayal in his eyes that she knew she'd never forget it. They left the docks quietly neither one sparing Helena so much as a glance.

The placid expression remained on Helena's face until she was sure that Nikolas was gone. This wasn't working out the way it was supposed too. It seemed she had killed Faison before the indoctrination of Lucky Spencer had been completed. She loathed being wrong and loathed failure even more. If things didn't pick up soon she may be forced to concede her Lucky plan. She didn't like that idea, and if she had to do that the punishment would be severe and widely felt.

Maybe another trip to Brazil and the Doctor who had provided the drugs was in order. Turning to go back to her yacht she lost her breath when she came face to face with Luke Spencer. 

Blowing a perfect smoke ring in her face Luke studied his foe. "Now that was an interesting conversation. But you know what? I prefer intimate ones. Kind of like the one you and I are about to have." Moving quickly, like the crafty fox he was, he took her arm and dragged her into the shadows.

~*~*~*~*~*~

__

Any guesses on what happens next?


	14. Lizzie's got a plan

****

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 14

****

~Penthouse 4~

Sonny merely stared at his attorney, his friend, the woman he was secretly in love with. There was no way her words meant, what they sounded like they meant, was there? Wondering if he needed his hearing checked Sonny stayed quiet.

"Did you hear me?" Alexis risked a glance in his direction. She hoped he understood because for some reason she didn't want to say the words, he should marry Carly, aloud.

"I heard you, I guess I'm waiting for the punch line. You picked a hell of a time to try standup Alexis."

"I'm sorry to say I'm not joking," she said stiffly and paced away from him.

"You want me to marry Carly?" Sonny asked bluntly.

"I didn't say that." Turning around she was taken aback to realize that he was right behind her.

"You said a wife couldn't be forced to testify against her husband. To me that sounds like you're telling me to marry Carly in order to shut her up."

His voice was soft-spoken, his eyes darker than she'd ever seen them and Alexis began to have trouble breathing for no particular reason. "I can't advise you to circumvent the law."

Noting the way her voice trembled and wondering the cause Sonny moved even closer. Her face turned a becoming shade of pink, her lips parted exhaling a rush of breath, and for the first time in a long time he felt like he had the upper hand with her. "Do you want me to marry Carly?"

"Of course not." Hearing the breathlessness in her voice she wondered about the cause. Control. She was always in control. Except of course when she wasn't, and this was rapidly turning into one of those moments.

"Then why did you suggest it?" Sonny asked and taking her by surprise he pulled the glasses off of her face.

Blinking once in surprise Alexis worked hard on maintaining a rational train of thought. "Why? Because I'm you're attorney and am therefore bound to present to you all the legal options that are available to you. Both the realistic as well as the unrealistic … my hand where are you taking my hand?" Her thought was distracted when he took her hand and moved it to the side.

"Nowhere," he replied easily, keeping a gentle hold on it. A hold she could easily break if she chose too, but she made no move in that direction. "Am I only a client to you Alexis?"

"No," she answered automatically and when she felt his hand on her back she felt compelled to go on. "You're also my friend. A fact that surprises me daily I have to admit."

Drawing her nearer until their faces were only inches apart Sonny raised a brow in question and whispered against her lips. "A client and a friend is that all I am? Or is there more?"

His gaze remained steady on her face and the weight of those dark eyes seemed to compress upon her until she tried to answer his impossible question. "Sonny."

The sight of those lips so close to her own, seemed to fill her view until the question of how they would feel against hers began to consume her. Giving up on words for the first time in her life, she instead chose to take action. Angling her head she moistened her lips in anticipation. She thought she saw a glimpse of relief in his eyes before her own lids drifted down and their lips met in a whisper of a caress.

"There's no need to announce me. This is not your boss' apartment it's my fiancée's. I have my own key and come and go as I please. So get out of my way." The strident masculine voice came through the door startling both of them.

Regaining her senses Alexis quickly stepped back, out of Sonny's hold, halting the contact between them. Smothering a curse Sonny backed off as well, turning his back on her and stalking towards the fireplace in an effort to regain control.

He had been so close. Alexis had kissed him, or it would have been a kiss if Ned hadn't showed up. She was no doubt already rebuilding her formidable defenses and he wondered where that would leave him. It had taken him years to get close enough to even attempt kissing her. He hated to think it would be years before he got another chance. With a sigh he turned in time to see Ned Ashton walk into the penthouse.

Ned glared in his general direction before moving over to Alexis. "What the hell is he doing here?" He demanded then went on before she could answer. "Do you know his flunky wasn't going to let me in here?"

Sonny shook his head in amazement at Ned's actions. Ned had been away from the woman he was going to marry for more than two weeks and the first thing he did when he saw her, was not kiss her, that if it had been him a kiss that would still be going on. No, instead of kissing her, Ned tried to start a fight. His distaste for Ashton grew in that moment, and that was saying something considering their history.

"When are you going to get it through your head Corinthos that although Alexis, through some misguided sense of loyalty, has chosen to continue working for you, you do not control who she sees or doesn't see," Ned was warming to his tirade.

"I asked to meet with Sonny, Ned. We had some things to discuss regarding his case." Alexis finally found her voice.

"Can't that wait?" Ned finally focused on his fiancée and smiled slyly. "I've missed you," he murmured moving closer.

Clenching his fists Sonny quickly realized it was time to leave. Either that or Ned was soon going to be wearing his fist imprints on his smug dimpled face. "We can finish our discussion tomorrow Alexis," he informed her coolly moving for the door.

Refusing to meet his eyes Alexis nodded and followed Sonny to the door. Sonny made a special effort to brush against her when he reached for the doorknob. His efforts were rewarded with her sudden inhalation of breath and the air seemed to grow thick around them. Pleased that he'd made his point, that there was something going on between them, he opened the door. "Goodnight Alexis."

"Goodnight Sonny," she forced herself to meet his eyes and when her mouth dried up, immediately wished she hadn't.

Ned moved up behind her, slipped an arm around her waist and drew her back against his chest, angling his head to nuzzle her neck. He didn't even bother to say goodnight, he just slammed the door in Sonny's face. 

Sonny heard the words let me show you how much I missed you come out of Ned's mouth and swallowed hard, trying to bury his jealousy, and turned to face his guard.

"Sorry boss," Max rumbled sheepishly. "I tried to stop him."

Shrugging his acceptance of the inevitable Sonny headed for his own penthouse. The image of what Ned was doing to Alexis, what she was allowing him to do to her, dogged his every step and turned his mood even fouler. He decided at the door the night was a good night to get drunk. Opening the door he moved directly to the wet bar determined to do just that.

"As long as you're pouring, why don't you pour me one as well?" Carly called from the sofa holding up her empty glass.

Sonny paused for half a minute then picked up the bottle and moved to join her on the couch. Maybe it was time to stop drinking alone.

****

~Jake's~

Francis stopped just inside the entryway and scanned the crowded interior of the smoky bar. Thursday nights at Jake's were dart league nights, so he wasn't surprised to find the place packed. His superior height gave him an advantage and he used it to scan the patrons until he found his quarry, leaning against the bar. Eyes narrowing Francis moved in for the kill.

"It's true there is nothing like the power a Harley gives you." Johnny O'Brien moved a little closer to the blonde nurse whose name he had forgotten 20 seconds after she had uttered it. "What's say you and I … Ow."

Rearing back Johnny brought a hand to his now stinging ear and turned to glare at his best friend. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"Why didn't you tell me that Jason was back in town?" Francis moved between Johnny and the blonde with a distracted excuse me.

"I didn't realize I was your informer." Johnny retorted mournfully when the blonde vacated the stool without a glance in his direction. His glare solidified when Francis took her now empty seat. "Why does it matter?"

"It matters because I ran into Elizabeth tonight and she asked my advice about some personal things, and because I thought she was talking about Lucky and I gave her some advice I wouldn't have if I had known she was talking about Jason." Francis began his complaint, each word flying into his intended target with the precision of a bullet. "So then we get to her studio and her door, her brand new door I might add, is open, and guess who is waiting for her?" He jeered the question and nodded when Johnny flinched. "You're right it was Jason."

Johnny's mouth dropped open in surprise. That was the most he'd heard Francis ever say at one time unless he was reporting something to Sonny. Francis normally wasn't as quiet as Jason, but he was pretty miserly with his words.

"So what do you have to say for yourself?" Francis demanded.

"Elizabeth asked you for advice about her love life?" Johnny picked the most innocuous part of the diatribe to pounce on. "The poor girl is more confused than I thought."

Johnny was spared the pain of Francis' fist in his jaw when Jake set beers in front of them.

"Here you go stranger. You looked like you need a drink." The blonde bartender smiled warmly at Francis.

"Thanks, it's on him," Francis informed her smugly.

"Wait. Why is it on me?" Johnny demanded.

"You noticed the new door on Elizabeth's studio didn't you?" Francis asked. "Since Jason is back in town you know who must have finally convinced her to get a new door," he smirked when Johnny grimaced into his beer. "I won the bet, therefore, you are buying, tonight."

"Fine I'm buying," Johnny agreed grumpily. Having seen Elizabeth withstand Sonny's pressure to get a new door, he'd been confident she would withstand Jason's advice as well. Shrugging off the depressing thought of his escalating bar tab Johnny reached for the bowl of popcorn and shifted the conversation back to interesting. "So what advice did you give her Dear Abby?"

Francis could feel the tips of his ears turning red and snarled, but his friend was unfazed. "She asked about when a guy was interested verses when he wasn't."

"So you told her that as long as a guy is breathing, he's interested, right?" Johnny asked and opened his mouth to catch the piece of popcorn he'd lobbed in the air. He caught two more pieces before he realized Francis hadn't answered him. "Tell me you didn't."

"I thought she was talking about Lucky." Francis argued defensively. "She asked me what I would do if a woman kissed me out of the blue when I wasn't interested in her that way. I thought she was talking about Lucky," he reminded him when Johnny groaned. "I told her I'd probably kiss her back then let her down as gently as I could. So then we get to the studio and I see Jason waiting and realized she wasn't talking about Lucky at all. A little advance warning would have been nice."

"Francis you fucked up." Johnny informed him succinctly before tossing another popcorn kernel high in the air.

"I know," Francis finished off his beer in two swallows and signaled Jake for a refill.

"If it makes you feel any better I sort of messed up with her too, only I managed to cover it," he finished smugly. The taunt reminded him of something and his expression turned serious. "If Elizabeth asks I collect postcards," he made a mental note. "I really need to get some of those."

"What did you do?"

"I kind of, maybe, sort of, let is slip out that Jason sent me a few postcards," Johnny admitted reluctantly.

"Idiot," Francis snapped and flicked Johnny behind the ear again, hard.

"Enough with the flicking," he hissed. "How was I supposed to know he didn't keep in touch with her?"

"How were you supposed to know?" Francis practically yelled the question. Aware of the eyes on them he deliberately lowered his voice before going on. "You were supposed to know because I told you after you got both postcards not to mention them to Elizabeth, because I knew she hadn't gotten anything from him. That was how you were supposed to know."

Johnny's mouth worked but nothing came out. Shit he'd fucked up worse than he'd thought. "Jake," he bellowed suddenly. "I need a boilermaker."

"Make that two. And they're on his tab." Francis called out right after him and deliberately waited for Johnny to look away before he flicked Johnny's ear again, causing him to groan in pain.

Tired of the pain that was being inflicted on him and aware that he had messed up Johnny thought it was only fair that his boss should be thrown to the wolves as well. "As bad as our mistakes were we got nothing on the boss."

"Do I want to hear this?" Francis asked quietly, nodding in thanks when Jake set the shot glass in front of him.

"He told Elizabeth that Jason never once asked about her while he was gone."

Groaning Francis downed his shot and reached for the beer chaser. "Sonny is a stupid man isn't he?"

"Yep," Johnny mimicked Francis' movements and his lips puckered at the sudden infusion of hard alcohol. "The way I see it, if you take my mistake and add yours too it, our mistakes aren't even half as bad as what Sonny did."

"I agree," Francis took another swallow of beer. "And if you add all three of us together it's still not as bad as what Jason did, or should I say didn't do, when it came to keeping in touch with Elizabeth."

"You're right it's all Jason's fault." Pleased he'd passed the buck of the blame Johnny changed the subject. "I thought you were going fishing in Canada."

"I did."

"I thought so, but Manny swears he saw you in New York with some woman last weekend." Johnny was too busy finishing his beer to note the way Francis had tensed at that pronouncement.

"Don't look now but your being snaked," Francis offered the distraction and Johnny immediately turned to look.

"Who?"

"The brunette by the jukebox. She's been scooping you out since I got here."

Johnny inventoried the petite, but stacked brunette and when she smiled at him he got to his feet. Habit had him straightening his shirt and running a hand through his hair to make sure it was presentable.

"Breath mint?" Francis asked dryly.

"Cute," Johnny took a step away from the bar.

"No Johnny I'm serious. You want a breath mint," Francis pointed out the obvious.

Narrowing a glare at his friend Johnny stepped back to the bar. "You're just jealous because it looks like I won't be alone tonight, while you will be, as usual," he jeered and at the same time picked up a peppermint candy from the bar and popped it in his mouth. You could never be too careful.

Francis watched him leave with a shake of his head. He'd dodged another bullet.

****

~Studio~

Elizabeth kept herself busy by putting her clothes away and ignoring Jason's one-sided phone call. Concentrating on evening her breathing and regaining control of her hormones were harder work than she'd thought. The temptation to yank the phone out of his hand and throw him on the bed, to take that kiss she'd thought she'd been about to receive, was strong. 

But so too was the confusion over what she would do with him after she threw him down. He was older, more experienced, and gorgeous. What could he possibly want with an 18 almost 19 year old girl who was mentally still a virgin even if she wasn't a physical one?

She felt her face flame and quickly moved inside the closet to hang up her shirts. She had to get a grip here. If Jason ever knew that he was starring in her fantasies she'd never be able to look him in the eye again. Muttering under her breath she emerged from the closet to pick up another load of clothes.

After her talk with Alexis this afternoon, she had been willing to take the chance and see if Jason could think of her as more than a bratty friend. Her talk with Sonny had soon ended that plan. If Jason had thought about her even half as often as she'd thought about him, these last 9 months, he would have made some effort to keep in touch with her.

One of the reasons she hadn't moved, she could admit now, was because she wanted Jason to know where to find her. But now it had been pointed out to her, that not only had Jason not kept in touch with her, he hadn't even bothered to ask about her. It seemed she ceased to exist for him the moment he left town.

So if you added all that up it meant that what she thought she saw in Jason's eyes when he looked at her was nothing but wishful thinking on her part. Sad at the realization and out of clothes, Elizabeth moved slowly out of the closet. She'd get through this just like she got through everything in her life, with time.

Gnawing at her bottom lip she determined never to mention the kisses or the near kisses that seemed to exist only in her mind, to him. The last thing she ever wanted was to hear the you're my friend but not that sort of friend speech from Jason. That was one mortification she knew she wouldn't be able to live down.

Stealing a look at him through her lashes she saw he was still on the phone, and judging from the look on his face he wasn't paying any attention to her. She decided to use that distraction to study him. 

How had it happened? When did it happen? How had Jason suddenly shifted in her mind from good friend to potentially that much more, and more importantly how could she get him to shift back into just friend mode?

She didn't want to lose his friendship. And the idea of pursuing him until he changed her mind, like she'd once done with Lucky, never seriously crossed her mind. Jason was a man, and as much as she hated to admit it, Lucky had been a boy. They were two totally different situations. It was a bitter pill for her to swallow, but she realized that she was more equipped to handle a boy than a man like Jason.

Moving to the window she lightly fingered the collection of dragons that were displayed there. A small part of her heart was screaming at her that she hadn't misread the signs. That Jason **had** almost kissed her and that meant he had **wanted** to kiss her. It was scary how much she wanted to believe that voice, her Lizzie voice.

But what would happen between them if she risked it and she was wrong? Frustrated with her thoughts she flicked on the radio that was on her dresser. The song that drifted out had the misfortune of being the one she'd heard earlier.

__

Should I tell you how I feel?

Oh I want you to know,

But then again I don't,

It's so complicated.

"A hell of a lot you know," she sniped angrily shutting off the radio before the singer could confuse her even more.

"What did you say?"

Jolting at Jason's question she felt her face flame again. "I-I just really don't like that song at the moment."

"Oh," Jason nodded and noted the way she was avoiding looking at him. He'd been noting a lot of things about her while he'd taken his call. Things like the way she'd entered the bathroom and washed her hands and face obliterating every trace of the ice cream. Then there was the way she had kept moving as if she were afraid to be still, and the way she'd been muttering to herself with every step she took.

He wasn't sure what she was talking about, but when she'd emerged from the closet that final time, her face had looked so sad that he'd instinctively wanted to comfort her.

"So where were we?" Her eyes widened in mortification and she backtracked. "I mean what did you want to talk about?" Moving past him carefully she moved towards the couch and at the last second veered away from it to perch on the stool. Distance was what was called for. If she sat too close to him she might accidentally touch him, or the smell of his cologne might overwhelm her senses and there would be no telling what she would do in response. Nope distance was a good thing.

Settling on the couch Jason couldn't help but wonder if he'd spooked her earlier with the ice cream. He knew he shouldn't have pushed like that but the sight of her licking the ice cream had been too much for him to ignore and his baser needs had gotten the better of him. He'd had to touch her, he hadn't planned on it, but instinct had taken over, and now he wondered if that lapse of control was going to haunt him. Realizing she was beginning to look nervous again he filled the silence.

"I didn't know you knew Francis so well."

"He's a good friend," she answered briefly. There was still no point in Jason knowing that she'd originally gotten to know Francis when he'd been assigned to her as a bodyguard.

"I know he is." He felt the unfamiliar need to press her for answers about how they'd become friends and forced himself to bury it. There were more important things to talk to her about. "You seem to have a lot of new friends."

"I don't think so."

"What about your friend Zander?" Jason kept a close eye on her knowing her reaction would be telling.

Paling, Elizabeth's mind began to race. How did he know about Zander? What did he know about Zander? This could be bad. Forcing her hands to unclench she tried to remember how to lie. There was a time she'd been an expert at it, she just needed to tap into that history. Remembering Johnny's observation she forced her eyes to his face and prepared to lie. Johnny, she realized in a flash, that was how he knew about Zander, Johnny, the little toad had squealed. "Zander's Zander," she offered finally.

Watching the various emotions cross her face had been interesting but they had passed far too quickly for him to fully name them. "Are you dating him?"

Elizabeth let out a laugh. "You know I'm not dating anyone."

"Not even a guy who drugged you?"

"Drugged?" Elizabeth shot off the stool and despite her vow not too she turned her back on him while she lied. "I wasn't drugged."

For a large man he could move very softly when he wanted too. That trait had come in handy in his line of work on more than one occasion and he used that now. He moved up quietly behind Elizabeth and asked the next question. "Does Zander have something to do with what happened to Emily?"

Jolting in surprise at his close proximity her hip caught the stool she'd been sitting on and sent it crashing to the ground. Both of them ignored it. "W-what about Emily?"

Even with her back to him he could hear the nerves in her voice and knew he was close, if not right on target. "We had a long talk today." Putting his hands on her shoulders he gently turned her around so he could see her face. He needed to see her eyes if this were going to work. "She told me what happened the night of the rave."

Elizabeth's eyes widened in disbelief, then relief, then shifted into confusion, then suspicion, before she lowered them. Her eyes were very telling to him.

"What did she tell you?" Elizabeth asked finally.

"She told me that Juan wanted to go to a rave, they had a fight, she saw him with another girl, so she started drinking and ended up getting high."

Elizabeth nodded slowly trying not to give anything away, so she kept her answers short. "Yes that's what happened."

"She also told me that when she was high she left the rave with some guy and she doesn't know who he was."

"I'm glad she told you. I know you were probably supportive of her, she really needs that." Jason's phrasing of the statements and the fact that he was asking her who Zander was, finally penetrated. And she realized, that although Emily had obviously told him some things, she'd kept the most critical details to herself.

Moving quickly she got past him before he realized it and her eye focused on her answering machine for the first time. The solid red light greeted her. That meant Nikolas hadn't called. Looking at her watch she realized that Nikolas had been thinking about her plans for almost 5 hours. She couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She just knew if she didn't hear from him soon she might have to tell Jason everything after all.

"Is Zander the man she left with?" Jason asked suddenly jolting her from her thoughts.

"No. But he was at the rave."

"Is that where you met him?"

"Yes." Her best bet at getting out of this was to keep her answers brief so that was exactly what she was going to do.

Tired with the evasions Jason decided to push. "You know I only want to help you and Emily don't you?"

She could hear the frustration in his voice and had to harden her heart against it. "There's nothing you can do. We have everything under control."

"That's not what you said yesterday," he reminded her softly. Catching her elbow he turned her around again and bent slightly to look in her eyes. "Let me help you."

"You can't." Ignoring the plea in his eyes was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do. "We have everything under control."

"You're lying to me," Jason accused her. "You were drugged so was Emily and something happened to you both. I can see that whatever happened is still going on that's not control."

Feeling the sting of his words she looked away. "Everything is fine."

Backing off he scrubbed at his face in frustration. "Yesterday you wanted to tell me what was going on and tonight you don't. Something happened to change your mind. Something made you decide not to trust me."

"That's not true. I trust you," she cried immediately.

"You just don't trust me enough to let me help you," he said bitterly and when he saw her flinch he regretted the harsh tone.

"I told you before it's not my secret to share," she offered finally, hoping he'd let things go.

"I'm not going to stand by and watch the people I care about get hurt, not if I can help it. I'm not made that way. You and Emily have been hurt and you're still being hurt. I won't let you push me out of this forever," he warned her.

"Let me talk to Emily," she offered an alternative.

Sighing in frustration he knew it was the best he was going to get. "When?"

"I'll talk to her tomorrow. I have to work in the morning so give me until tomorrow night okay?" By then if Nikolas decided to go with her plan it would all be over. If he didn't then they would need Jason's help after all. She needed a day, hopefully she could stall him that long.

"And if Emily says not to tell me?"

She couldn't help but deflate at that possibility. "Then I'll probably tell you anyway and make her mad," she answered sadly.

Hearing the bleakness in her voice he decided to back off and give her the day.

"Was there anything else? It's getting late and I'm kind of tired." Elizabeth moved towards the door hoping to get rid of him so she could call Nikolas. Either they went with her plan tonight, or they would either have to tell Jason or rely on Lucky's plan. None of those alternatives were very appealing to her.

Trailing her to the door Jason felt the unfamiliar pangs of guilt when she opened the door. "Elizabeth I'm pressing because I care about you. You know that right? You're my friend and I don't want anything to happen to you."

The smile that had formed when he'd first started speaking felt frozen to her face, yet she gave it anyway. It seemed that they moved from 'there is no word for what I feel for you' to just a friend, and she couldn't help but be disappointed. "I know. I'll see you sometime tomorrow."

Jason moved out in the hall and before he could turn around the door closed behind him. Raising his hand to knock, the door opened slightly on its own, he was about to push it farther open when the phone rang. Changing his mind when that happened he gripped the handle to close the door, only to come up short when her words caught his attention.

"I'm glad you agree with me Nikolas. We're really the only ones who can take care of this problem for everyone, before it gets totally insane, not that it isn't already."

Jason's hand dropped from the doorknob and he began to listen in earnest.

"No it has to be before tomorrow night. If we don't do it before the rave, you know Lucky will expect us to follow his plan and that will be disaster," Elizabeth reminded her friend.

Moving around her small kitchen area she began retrieving the items that she'd been stockpiling in anticipation of implementing her plan. "I'll meet you on the docks."

A noise caught her attention, distracted from her conversation she looked over and realized the door was open. Frowning she tucked the phone between her ear and shoulder and moved over to close it. "Right the docks."

Jason moved to the side just as the door closed cutting off the rest of her words. Elizabeth was up to something with Nikolas and he had a feeling that whatever they were up too it wasn't good. If she was determined to meet Nikolas on the docks he was just as determined she wouldn't be there alone. He'd keep an eye on her and if it looked like things were getting out of control, then, he'd step in. She'd be angry, but he could live with her angry. What he couldn't live with was her being hurt. 

Decision made Jason moved down the hall and headed down the stairs towards the Wharf, he knew the perfect spot on the docks, where he could keep an eye out for the launch from Spoon Island.

~*~*~

"So did you leave the jag where I told you too off Pier 52?" Elizabeth pulled on her black pants and sat down to pull on her black sneaks. "No it has to be Pier 52, it's the most isolated of all the docks. With what were doing we don't want anyone to see us. Did you leave the key where I told you?"

Rolling her eyes at his reply she tugged a large piece of industrial plastic out from underneath her bed. "Nikolas I'm not going to drive your precious baby I'm just going to get the trunk ready."

Her attention shifted to the window when a flash of light caught her eye. Hopefully it was just heat lightning. This would be harder to do if they had to fight the rain. Nikolas caught her attention again.

"Yes I'm sure Nikolas. We can't let this drag on any longer. It's time Ted Wilson was found," she looked at her watch. "Are you ready? Oh Nikolas I almost forgot, where casual clothes. Clothes that you'd never wear in front of anyone." She rolled her eyes at his tone. "Just do it. I'll see you in about 20 minutes."

Hanging up the phone Elizabeth looked at the bag of supplies she'd been packing up, then took a look around her studio. What she was about to do was the biggest risk she'd ever undertaken. If something went wrong. 

"Don't think like that Elizabeth." She ordered herself and picked up the bag. Flipping off the light switch she couldn't help but take what she hoped wouldn't be the final look at her studio. Closing the door she locked it with the new keys Jason had presented her and turned to head down the hall. She came to a stop a few paces later and shook her head in disgust. 

Habit could be a bad thing, turning around she headed for the stairs on the backside of the building, the ones that would put her on Water's Street, and close to where Nikolas had parked his car.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

__

Alas it seems most of my readers have vanished. I guess this will be the last update for awhile. Which is a pity because I have a lot planned.

Have I made you feel guilty yet?

Yes???

Good! Then Reply.

Steph


	15. Gloves, Hairnets and Trouble

****

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 15

****

~Speedboat~

A flash of lightning lit the sky illuminating the dark and swirling water causing Nikolas to mutter a curse in Latin. Although he was often teased about his cultured upbringing he knew he was admired for the impressive and inventive curses that flowed out of him in several languages. But now wasn't the time for praise. Now was the time to debate the wisdom of following Elizabeth's potentially dangerous plan.

The approaching storm had brought a heavy wind with it stirring up the river into nothing but choppy, unpredictable water. Thanks to the wind, the spray the boats passing kicked up swirled back around hitting him in the face. At the moment the water was the least of his concerns. As scary as Elizabeth's plan sounded it was nowhere near as stupid or dangerous as the one Lucky had come up with. For Lucky to believe that his plan would work only showed how wrong Lucky's thinking had become. Lucky was behaving too irrationally to rely on, a fact, which had been reinforced to him tonight.

__

Slowing the Jag, Nikolas turned onto the long driveway that led to the Quartermaine mansion. Emily hadn't said a word since she'd gotten in the car. He'd studied her during the drive home and noted, in the wake of the passing headlights, that she still had no color in her face. Lucky's attack had stunned her and it seemed to have devastated her as well.

"You did the right thing Emily," he went on when she remained quiet. "You were being Lucky's friend, he'll realize that."

"I don't think Lucky sees it that way."

"He will," he tried to reassure her. "What's going on with Lucky is too much for you and him to figure out by yourselves. Lucky needs professional help, now he can get it."

"He won't go."

"I'll make him go." Nikolas vowed it was a promise he intended to keep. Whatever had been done to Lucky had been done by Helena. That meant it was his responsibility to discover what she had done to his brother and get him the help he needed to return to normal. He would have helped Lucky regardless of who had done this to him, but the fact it was his Grandmother made it more personal to him.

"Even now, especially now," Emily was saying. "No one makes Lucky do anything."

"Luke will," he pointed out. "He won't give Lucky a choice in the matter. He'll probably just kidnap him like he did before, he's good at kidnapping people," he remembered with a rueful smile as he brought the jag to a halt.

"They way he looked at me." Emily started then quickly climbed from the car, leaving Nikolas to hurry after her.

He caught up with her before she reached the door and took her arm holding her in place. "Emily."

"It's just…" she hesitated. "Lucky's always been my friend. From almost the first day I arrived in Port Charles he was my friend. We had problems at times with my drug addiction, his mom faking her death, the fight at the nurse's ball, but through it all we were always friends." She finally turned to look at him unshed tears glistening in her eyes. "Tonight was the first time he ever looked at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like he didn't want to know me. Like he hated me."

Nikolas drew her close when she started to cry. Lucky needed help and he wouldn't get it while there were so many other problems to focus on. Elizabeth's plan, the one he'd tried all evening to dismiss worried him, but at the same time it made sense. It was past time to do something to end this nightmare. They were the only ones who could pull this off. If they did it would be one less problem weighing on all of their minds and that would be a good thing. Decision made he waited for her tears to stop before stepping back. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah," came the watery reply. "I'm just going to go to bed and think about everything in the morning."

"Call me if anything happens." He made her promise then kissed her forehead in farewell.

The decision to go along with Elizabeth's plan had been made a few hours ago, but now he was having second thoughts. Slowing the boat he took a look at the blanket wrapped body lying on the floor behind him. Would they be able to pull this off? He was beginning to have serious doubts. The boat crept forward until he spied a familiar figure waiting on the jetty. If he got the feeling they were in trouble or were going to get caught he'd made the decision that he would swallow his pride and call Jason for help. Ted Wilson's family would have to suffer the agony of never knowing what happened to him, because there was no way he was going to let Emily or Elizabeth go to jail. Maneuvering the powerful boat slowly past the pylons he drew it abreast to the unfamiliar dock and tossed Elizabeth a line that she quickly secured.

After a minute of cautious study Elizabeth broke the silence. "I was afraid you changed your mind."

"I considered it." Nikolas admitted while climbing out of the boat.

"We don't have another choice," she touched his arm increasing the pressure until he focused on her. "You know that right?"

"I know. But that doesn't mean I'm not tempted to weigh down the body and toss him in the middle of the river."

"But you won't will you?" Elizabeth asked even though she already knew the answer.

"No." Determined to go through with the plan for as long as he could he looked around. "What now?"

"I swiped a wheelbarrow from ELQ Shipping it's over there," she pointed. "Before we can move the body to your car we need to do something first."

Not liking her tone or her words Nikolas focused on her again and automatically took a small object she gave to him. "Rubber gloves?"

"Put them on. From now on we're going to keep the latex gloves on. Put this on as well." She held out a dark object that Nikolas took with some reluctance and even the seriousness of the situation couldn't keep the smile from her face when she saw his expression.

"What is this?"

The smile widened at the regal tone she heard in his voice. "It's a hairnet."

"I am not wearing a hairnet," he informed her sharply.

"Put it on, you don't want any of your princely locks discovered with the body do you?" Elizabeth put on her own hairnet but Nikolas didn't move. "Maybe you won't need one, your hair looks kind of thin in places."

Glaring at her he tossed the offending hairnet in the water. "I've moved the body a couple of times now, my hair could be all over it."

"That's why I had you take his clothes off," she looked down at the blankets covering the body. "He is, I mean you did…"

"Yes I cut his clothes off, and yes I burned them," he anticipated her next question. "What now?"

Stepping back to where she'd left her oversized bag she rummaged through it until she came up with the items she needed. Swallowing hard she made herself turn back to Nikolas. "We need to pour bleach over his hands, run a Q-tip under his nails then put these bags over his hands. Once we've done that we can move him to your car, I've already got the trunk lined with the industrial plastic I stole."

"I am not bleaching his hands." Nikolas stated firmly. Getting the body out of the freezer and out of his clothes had been sickening enough. He didn't want to touch the body anymore than he had too.

"We have to Nikolas," she tried to sound as firm as he did. "He might have skin, or trace evidence under his nails. Evidence that could lead back to Emily."

"He's been frozen for weeks I'm sure if there were any evidence it's long gone."

"We don't know that for sure," Elizabeth reminded him and saw him shake his head. Steeling herself she stepped onto the boat.

"What are you doing?" He was beside her in an instant.

"I don't want to do this either Nikolas, but it has to be done." Squatting beside the curled, and still frozen body she uncorked the lid on the bleach and reached a shaking hand toward the blanket.

"Elizabeth," he stopped her hand with his own. "I'll do it, you keep watch."

Happy to oblige Elizabeth scurried from the boat. Sooner or later she was going to have to touch the body. But she was only too happy to wait for later. "Hurry Nikolas we need to get him out of here before the rain starts," she urged when lightning lit the sky again.

"Anytime you want to change places I'm right here." Nikolas retorted and went back to his curses. She was making him think of some new variations tonight.

****

~Bannister's Wharf~

Lightning lit the sky illuminating the docks more than any collection of streetlights ever could. Jason looked up at the night sky, then down at his watch. What was keeping Elizabeth? It had been almost 45 minutes since he'd settled himself on the docks to watch for her and the launch from Spoon Island. So far he hadn't seen either one. He was beginning to get the feeling that he'd missed her.

When the lightning came again he made his move. Leaving his cover he headed for her building. Within minutes he was in the hallway staring at her new door. He lifted his hand to knock only to lower it again immediately. What could he say if she was home? It was after midnight, what excuse could he give her for coming by so late? He had none but the truth so that would have to do. He knocked on the door, the sound loud in the deserted hallway yet he could hear no response from behind the door, so he knocked again. 

"Elizabeth?" He called her name and waited a beat before pulling the key she'd insisted he keep from his pocket and unlocked the door. "Elizabeth," he called again before turning on the light to confirm something he already knew. The apartment was empty, somehow he had missed her. Turning to leave his attention was caught by a collection of items on her table, items that hadn't been there when he'd left her place earlier. Baggies, a box of Q-Tips, a two pack of bleach with one missing, they didn't make sense. Perplexed he studied the items a moment longer before flipping off the light and closing the door. He needed to find Elizabeth and discover what she was up to.

****

~Penthouse 4~

The mood in the penthouse was mellow and that was an unusual occurrence. Ever since Carly had moved in, tension seemed to have taken up residence in the dark rooms. That tension had only increased when Carly had caused his arrest. But tonight, at least for the moment, the mood between them was easy and for that he was relieved. 

He was still trying to come to grips with the legal solution that Alexis had come up with. Marry Carly and she couldn't be forced to testify against him. Marry Carly and he wouldn't be placed in a cage until the point he killed himself to escape. Marry Carly and lose the woman he loved. Marry Carly and be driven insane. There was no way he could go to prison and live. No way to marry Carly and not go mad. No way to send Carly away and be secure in the belief that she wouldn't return before the statute of limitations ran out. Downing the rest of the scotch in a fluid movement he automatically refilled his glass. As far as he could tell he only had one legitimate way out of this mess.

"You don't like me much do you?"

Surprised by her unexpected question he took a sip stalling for time.

"Do you?"

"I'm probably going to jail because of you," he reminded her bitterly.

Carly flinched and it was her turn to refill her glass. "Haven't you ever made a mistake? Or do you really believe you're perfect?"

"I've made plenty of mistakes but that doesn't change…"

"I was trying to help," she interrupted. Maybe this time he'd hear her, maybe this time he'd finally understand she hadn't meant to hurt him.

Sighing wearily Sonny rubbed at his eyes. "Your brand of help is probably going to cost me everything."

Carly's guilt increased with his words. Jason was back in town now, didn't that mean that he would fix things for Sonny, fix her mess? Jason had been fixing her messes for years now, he had to be able to help. Sonny couldn't go to jail because of something she caused. He just couldn't. 

"Can't your uptight lawyer get you out of it? I figured the only reason you kept her around was for legal messes. Make her earn her keep, make Alexis fix things for you."

"Alexis has told me something about the upcoming trial."

"What's that?" Carly shifted until she could see his eyes which were so dark at the moment they were like peering into an inky, bottomless well.

"Basically if you testify I go to jail," he answered bluntly. "So one way or the other you can't testify. That doesn't leave me with very many options now does it?"

****

~Luke's~

"Sit." Luke ordered and gave Helena a not so friendly nudge into a chair.

"Really Luke your manners." Helena tsked then frowned at the painting that hung on the far wall. Amused she turned to Luke. "Would you like me to autograph it?"

Luke turned to examine the nude portrait of a much younger Helena. "Why the rats don't care. It's merely a drinking test for my customers. If anyone says you look good I cut them off, bad for business to let the drunk drive."

Though fuming at his insults Helena took care to keep her expression tranquil. "Why did you bring me here?"

Moving behind the counter Luke reached for the good stuff, poured three fingers worth of scotch then lit a cigar. "We needed to talk privately."

"There are so many more amusing things one can do privately, why should we talk?" Helena moved to the other side of the bar to begin the game.

Recognizing the familiar look in her eye Luke knew the latest round had just begun. "I see the spawn got after you tonight." He puffed a perfect smoke ring in her face. "Funny thing about bastards. Sooner or later they always turn on the bitch that raised them."

The amusement vanished from her eyes. "Don't you dare insult the Prince."

"Prince?" Luke snorted. "Nah, he's only a pup, although he had a glimmer of his father in him tonight, but unlike Stavros his hatred is only pointed at you."

Helena was pleased enough by his words that she let the worse of her temper go. Luke, her beloved son's worst enemy had seen the same thing she had tonight, that Nikolas was like his father. Now that Stefan was dead, she would be able to harness the boy without his interference, she would teach him what it meant to be a true Cassadine Prince. But for now there was Luke to deal with, and she had the Ace in her control. "Poor Luke it appears you're still jealous."

"What is your demented brain thinking now?"

"You're jealous that I was able to give Laura something you couldn't," she leaned closer until their faces were inches apart. "I brought her precious Lucky home to her."

Luke noted the gleam in her eye. It was the same one she always got whenever she said Lucky's name and he didn't like it. The gleam was a puzzle he needed to work out, he'd always liked puzzles. "You were able to bring him back because you and Fu Manchu, were the ones who took him in the first place." When Helena laughed in his face, he snapped. "What did you do to my son?

"All I did was bring him back to Port Charles. It's not my fault he didn't want to return to the farce you call a family."

"I'll find out Helena." Luke warned her calmly and knowing her fears he played on them. "You'll either tell me willingly or I'll make you tell me."

"Threats? Really Luke I hate it when you become mundane." Turning she moved back to the small table to retrieve her purse. "As inventive as your threats will no doubt be, I imagine I've heard them all before."

"I'll take Nikolas the spawn of Satan you say you are devoted to and I'll test your devotion. How many fingers will you let him lose before you finally tell me what I want to know?" Luke offered the words with no emotion, like he was ordering from a menu and that made the effect that more chilling. 

"Or maybe I'll look of Dr. Medira. You remember him don't you? The Doctor with the talent for drugs and herbs?" Even with her back to him he could see her flinch. "He's the one that kept you in a drugged stupor for years all the while convincing everyone you had a stroke. Really Helena that should have been your first clue that something was wrong in Whoville, after all you don't have a heart."

The words pelted her like darts and she tasted the fear only Luke could bring out in her. The fear had come at the mention of Dr. Medira. She hadn't been able to find him after her recovery, she hadn't been able to punish him properly for his treachery. But she would. One day she would have her revenge on the man who conspired with her son against her. The evening was turning uncomfortable and she was eager to divest herself of everything Spencer.

"Or." He leveled a handgun at her when she turned back to the bar. "I could just kill you now and figure out what you did to Lucky later. Last chance Helena, what did you do to my son?"

"The only thing I did was bring Lucky back and subject him to more of your arrogance and Laura's whining," she replied easily.

"Wrong answer." Luke snapped and pulled the trigger.

****

~Kelly's~

Once Lucky left Kelly's he was unsure of where to go next. Lately when he'd felt lost or confused he'd gone to Emily, but he'd never be able to go to her again. She had betrayed him. He had trusted her and she had betrayed him. She had told Nikolas that he was having problems. He couldn't help being disappointed in her. He was her best friend. He was her oldest friend. How could she have chosen Nikolas over him?

The crush she'd once had on the Prince was long gone so why did she trust Nikolas more than him? The image of bruises on her arms, bruises he'd placed on her arms came back to haunt him and he tried to shake it away. He hadn't meant to hurt her. He would never physically hurt any woman, especially not Emily, and yet he had made the bruises. This time the image he saw was the fear on her face when he wouldn't let her go. The memory of that fear was like a punch to the gut.

Maybe Nikolas was right. Maybe he did need help. What was going on with him? He didn't know for sure but whatever he was doing wasn't right. He needed help and in the end there was only person he could trust to help him. Only one person who had never let him down, one person who had already helped him so much.

Telling Elizabeth was what he had to do. Once the decision was made a weight seemed to come off of his shoulders and he hurried for her studio. He would find Elizabeth and tell her what was going on with him and she would help him the way she always had. The more he thought about it the more he believed that once he told her his problem would vanish. Their love had always saved each other in the past, it only made sense it would do so now. Jason didn't stand a chance when it came to him and Elizabeth, neither did his problem. He had to find Elizabeth and he had to find her tonight.

****

~Jake's~

"What the hell were you thinking putting your bra in my bag?" Francis demanded of the woman on the other end of the phone. "Do you even care what I would be in for if the wrong person found it? Are you trying to be cruel?"

Listening to her reply he kept a watchful eye on the table that Johnny was at. As long as Johnny was hitting on the brunette his phone call should go unnoticed. "Don't do it again." Francis warned her an instant before the dial tone sounded in his ear. He was in for it now. 

He'd started to hang up the phone when the hair on the back of his neck rose, shifting casually he kept the phone to his ear and turned towards the back door to see who had just entered. Roscoe. Francis recognized Sorel's right hand man immediately and hunched over the payphone trying to obscure his face. He needn't have worried about Roscoe spotting him. The man was obviously distracted, his attention split between the bar and the cellphone pressed to his ear.

"No I haven't found Zander Smith anywhere." Roscoe was saying into the phone.

The name wasn't one he was familiar with but Francis automatically filed it away for future reference. 

"No one has seen Smith since earlier when we had our conversation with him about the Webber girl and Sorel's plans for her." Roscoe paused to listen unaware of the keen interest of the man he was sharing the hall with. "Yeah I checked the alley the only thing I found was a blood trail."

When Roscoe shifted Francis did as well, hoping that man would keep talking.

"Yeah I went by the Webber girl's place, no one was home … I couldn't … because she has a new door with new locks." Roscoe snapped and waited. "I'm heading there next. We better find Smith the boss won't like it if we don't, he has a lot of plans for the girl." Closing the phone he turned and headed for the back door only to veer in the bathroom at the last second.

Francis wasted no time in hurrying into the bar and Johnny. "We're leaving" He announced his intention by yanking Johnny to his feet.

"Knock it off Francis," Johnny wrenched his arm free. "Just because you choose to live like a monk doesn't mean I have to, I've got plans."

"Your plans are about to walk out the back door," Francis snapped.

Johnny automatically checked the back hallway and groaned. "You know we can't play bash Sorel's goons heads in anymore, Sonny's getting tired of having Alexis get us out of trouble."

"I don't want to beat him up … yet. We're following him." Without waiting for Johnny's reply he headed for the back door to follow Roscoe.

"Shit," Johnny looked mournfully at the brunette he'd just convinced to take a ride with him. "Rain check?" He gave her his most winning smile. Getting to her feet the brunette gave a loud snort and walked away without a look back. "Francis this better be good," he took another second to watch her walk away before sprinting for the door. 

He made it to the mouth of the alley in time to dive for the car as Francis slowed, but did not stop, next to him. His lower legs and feet were drug over the graveled drive for several yards before he finally got them in the car. "Damn I just bought these jeans." His attention shifted from the rip on the cuff of his jeans to his best friend. "What the hell are we doing?"

"Tell me about Zander Smith. Tell me what is connection to Sorel is," Francis ordered while keeping his focus on the taillights of the car they were following. "And more importantly tell me what Smith has to do with Elizabeth."

"Smith's tied in with Sorel?" Johnny asked. "That's bad."

"You think?" Francis snapped.

****

~Docks~

Jason had moved from frustration into concern. He couldn't find either Elizabeth or Nikolas. Cassadine's Jag hadn't been parked in his usual spot, and a careful call to Emily confirmed she hadn't seen Elizabeth since the afternoon, and Nikolas for hours. He had a feeling he'd made her curious but that had been unavoidable. Elizabeth was up to something and the longer he couldn't find her the more worried he became about whatever her plan was. From what he'd found out during the course of the day whatever problem Emily and the others had it was a dangerous one.

"I was wondering when I'd run into you Morgan."

Coming to alert, Jason made a slow turn, his eye sweeping the docks to check for extra guards, before coming to rest on Sorel. So far he'd only spotted the one, but he knew Sorel never traveled anywhere with only one guard. "What do you want?"

"What no hello? No long time no see?" Secure in the knowledge that he had the upper hand in the unexpected meeting Sorel's tone was jovial.

"You should have left town after Moreno died." Jason returned smoothly, he'd finally spotted the second guard and that relieved him.

"You're not still upset over our last meeting are you?" Sorel asked and lamented, not for the first time, that if Moreno's aim had been on the mark he wouldn't have to deal with Jason Morgan at all. That had always been the problem with Moreno he couldn't shoot very well. That was the reason he'd made a name for himself in the organization by using a shotgun, it was difficult to miss with a shotgun. Still he'd managed to rid himself of Moreno that day, it was only a matter of time before he took care of Morgan as well.

Jason didn't want to turn his back on Sorel but wasn't interested in listening to what the man had to say either. Even with the lateness of the hour there was still movement on the docks. His employees at the coffee warehouse were busy trying to get a shipment inside before the rain fell. Sorel could be careless but he wasn't stupid. This part of the docks was too public to try anything, with that realization Jason turned to leave.

Sorel watched him walk away without a word and got mad. It was time to clear the air about a few things. "If you're still upset about the Webber girl don't be." When Jason stopped he smiled to himself. "She's in no danger from me, not anymore. I obviously misjudged her importance to you."

In spite of his best efforts Jason couldn't help getting mad yet he tried to keep it from his face as he turned back to Sorel. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean it was fairly obvious when you didn't return to town after…" he let the word hang in the air, then shrugged. "It was apparent Elizabeth Webber didn't mean much to you."

This time it was impossible to keep the anger from showing. Moving quickly, more quickly then Sorel gave him credit for his hand closed over Sorel's jacket and he jerked him to his toes. "What did you do to Elizabeth?"

Seeing his violent and painful death in Jason's eyes Sorel got his confirmation of the girl's importance to his enemy. "Temper, temper. You're acting like Anger Boy."

"Let him go." A voice ordered, a voice Jason ignored until the barrel of a gun was pressed behind his ear. "Let him go." Reluctantly Jason did as he was ordered and raised his hands.

"It's not so easy this time is it Morgan?" Giving into temptation Sorel drove his fist into Morgan's unprotected gut causing him to double over briefly. "I'm ready for you this time. No sneak attacks from behind."

Ignoring the clenching in his stomach Jason stood up. "I took you out by myself. You're nothing but a coward that needs two armed men to help you and even with them your punch packs as much power as a 12 year old girl," he taunted him deliberately, borrowing a phrase he'd heard Johnny use on more than one occasion. When Sorel took the bait and moved closer Jason caught his arm mid-swing and jerked him forward shifting behind him in one fluid move. Before the guards even realized what was happening, Jason had an arm locked around Sorel's neck cutting off his air supply. "Drop the guns."

The guards appeared confused as what to do and Jason knew he had to act quickly. Somehow he didn't think Sorel was the type of boss that inspired loyalty in his men. "Do you want to live?" Jason asked him and eased up on Sorel's windpipe giving him time to speak.

"Do what he says," Sorel gasped out the order and the guns clattered to the dock.

"Jason."

"What?" Jason never took his eyes from the guards as he addressed the latest arrival.

"The cops, Taggert he's right behind me at Kelly's I think he's heading this way." Dean Gagal one of his coffee house employees warned him.

"Thanks, now get lost." Jason acknowledged the warning with a shake of his head. The last thing he wanted to do was spend the night in lockup. Tightening his hold on Sorel he whispered in the man's ear. "If anything happens to her, I won't stop until I break every bone in your body. By the time I'm done you'll be begging me to kill you." With that he shoved the slumping man at his guards and took off. He'd just cleared the landing when he heard Taggert's arrival.

"Well what do we have here?"

Ignoring Taggert Jason hurried away. He now had another reason to find Elizabeth. Something had happened after he'd left, something between her and Sorel, something she hadn't told him about, something Sonny hadn't told him about. He was tired of being left in the dark. It was time to get some answers.

****

~Pier 52~

"My god he's heavy." Elizabeth's arms had been shaking with strain by the time they finally moved the body from the wheelbarrow and into the trunk.

"Of course he's heavy, he's frozen." An out of breath Nikolas pointed out.

"That reminds me at some point you'll need to get rid of the freezer."

"It's already arranged," he looked over at her. "You think I want to put food in it after this?" They both shuddered at the thought.

"We better get moving, this storm will break sooner or later."

Reluctantly they both turned to the body on the plastic, thankfully the blankets had remained securely tied around the body so she hadn't had to touch the man's skin so far. "We need to get rid of the blankets."

"Why?"

"Nikolas there's a crest on one of them," she pointed out the large C. "They'll be easy to track. Cut the binds that secure the blanket, and pull them free, we can burn them later. Then wrap him in the plastic, that's what it's there for. The plastic will cut down on any evidence that sticks to the body."

Nikolas nodded but remained where he was. "I put the bleach on him."

"Fine I'll do it. You weigh the wheelbarrow down and put it in the river." Nikolas nodded and stepped away. Since it was her idea she couldn't keep making Nikolas do the gross part. She could do this she just wouldn't think of him as a person. Pulling the knife from her bag she leaned into the trunk to cut the ropes around the body. She'd freed two and was working on the third when a hand fell on her shoulder. Startled Elizabeth jumped and her head connected with the trunk lid while the knife clattered into the trunk.

"Take it easy," Nikolas' own heart was racing at her violent reaction.

Sagging in relief she pressed her face into his chest and tried to kick start her heart. After a minute she stepped back and glared at him. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"I'm sorry I thought you heard me. I secured the block of concrete on the wheelbarrow, you get rid of it I'll take care of the body."

"Are you sure?" This time she forced herself not to take the easy way out. She knew this wasn't easy on him.

"Go." When she still didn't move he tried again. "He's naked remember. I think I better do it."

"Oh," she couldn't help but grimace, she'd forgotten that part, "thanks." Moving quickly she hefted the wheelbarrow and awkwardly made her way over the wooden planks of the dock. The going was slow, the wheel seemed to sink into every crevice between each board. She was perspiring by the time she reached the edge of the dock. Setting the end of the wheelbarrow down she moved to the edge to make sure there was only water below.

Caution had her turning to check the apparently deserted dock for anyone. She'd chosen this dock for a couple of reasons. One of them was because it was close to where a car could be parked without arousing curiosity. Also the pier was rarely used. The other end of the dock system had easier access for ships to offload their product. The water level here was lower, the rocks more predominant, there was even the remains of an old pier that a boat would have to maneuver around in order to reach the dock. She'd seen more than one boat run aground on the old dock. When that happened often enough word got around to avoid this section of the docks.

The weather was also in her favor. The approaching storm kept the homeless at bay. This section got hammered by bad weather when the wind was blowing in the right direction, so most of the local homeless moved inland to find a drier section to sleep on. Still with what they were doing it was only prudent to be cautious so her eyes swept the docks twice before she felt satisfied she was alone.

Stepping behind the wheelbarrow she grasped the bars and lifted one end then slowly walked the wheelbarrow over the side. Luck was with her, thanks to the concrete the wheelbarrow fell straight down and didn't tip over. Water began to fill it immediately and soon it vanished from sight.

"Did it sink?"

"Geesh." Elizabeth jumped and would have tumbled over the edge after the wheelbarrow if Nikolas hadn't caught her. "Next time just kill me. You scaring 10 years off my life every five minutes isn't healthy."

"And killing you is?" A perplexed Nikolas asked. He was spared her reply when the rain finally began to fall. "Are you ready to finish this?" He held out his hand.

"Let's do it." Taking his hand they ran for the car unaware of the man that stepped out from behind a crate and began following them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

__

Thank you for all the nice replies. They work wonders see???


	16. The unexpected sucks

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 16

Penthouse 2

Alexis was daydreaming, one could call it spacing off but she preferred daydreaming it sounded ier somehow. Did the fact she was having an internal debate on what to call what she was doing signal trouble? Yes. Could she stop it? No. Or more specifically she didn't want to stop debating, because if she did she would have to concentrate on what Ned was saying and that would lead to a whole new set of problems.

"I just don't understand why you continue to represent him."

She opened her mouth to respond but Ned didn't give her the chance so she went back to eating her popcorn. It may not he healthy for her but movie theater butter was far superior to light butter. The brand name also mattered. If there was one thing in the kitchen she was an expert on it was microwave popcorn. Munching happily it took her a minute to realize Ned had stopped talking. The handful of kernels paused halfway to her mouth as she looked questioningly in his direction.

"You're not even listening are you?" Ned asked.

"I'm listening," she answered automatically.

"Then why aren't you saying anything?"

"What can I say Ned? This is the same argument we've had for months now. You're not going to change my mind and I'm not going to change yours," she sighed wearily. "It's late and I don't feel like fighting with you, especially when it's a fight that will never end."

Telling himself to take his time because he knew she always won in a war of words, Ned crossed to the window. Why couldn't he make her understand she was playing with fire by staying in Sonny Corinthos vicinity? Why was it the women in his life could be so smart except when it came to the Mafia Don of Port Charles?

How many months had he spent warning Lois and Brenda about Sonny, that he wasn't to be trusted? How many months had he tolerated Sonny's smug superior attitude when the truth about Eddie Maine had finally come out. Even when Sonny had been proven to be the bastard he always knew he was, Lois still wouldn't cut Sonny dead. If Lois couldn't, Brenda wouldn't, her obsession had worried him for years. It was true that Sonny hadn't caused her death, as he'd once feared Sonny would, but if Sonny had stayed in Port Charles he could have.

With Lois in Brooklyn and Brenda gone he'd thought he was free of Sonny's influence on the women in his life. But that was before Alexis. The irony of the whole situation was that he was the one that helped persuade Alexis into taking Jason's case, when he sued for partial custody of Michael, in the first place, and that was what had brought Sonny into her life.

Once Alexis had won Jason custody she'd represented him in a few other situations as well. When Sonny had returned she'd started representing him as well. He knew Alexis loved a challenge, her lawyer arrogance equaled his as CEO of ELQ, but the hostile takeovers he dealt with weren't done with guns. Sooner or later she was bound to be caught in the crossfire of Sonny's business, and he couldn't let that happen. He needed to convince her to walk away from Sonny and he would, because he wasn't about to let Sonny win. Operation liberate Alexis was about to begin.

Turning from the window he studied his quarry that was also doubling as the prize and made his opening salvo. "Have you spoken to your ever-present landlord about your lease yet?"

Alexis was jarred from her half-doze. "What about my lease?"

"That you'll be giving it up," Ned replied and watched her face freeze mid yawn.

"W-what do you mean?"

"You don't honestly expect to live here after we're married do you?" Ned asked with a laugh.

Alexis felt her panic begin to grow. Where the hell were her paper bags when she needed them? _Across the hall with Sonny where you want to be._ A little voice pointed out, and that thought made her suck in a popcorn kernel the wrong way and begin to cough.

Motel

"A Jaguar?" Jax surveyed the parking lot of rusted out and damaged cars. "That car would certainly stand out around here."

V sipped appreciatively at her coffee. "The driver also stood out. He was a young man, more than likely a teenager with dark hair."

"There aren't that many Jags in town and the only one I know being driven by a dark-haired teen is Alexis' nephew Nikolas."

"I know," V nodded excitedly. "He had a companion, another teenage male, this one with blonde hair. Any guesses on who that could be?"

"Lucky Spencer." What did Lucky and Nikolas have to do with a dead cop? Whatever it was he was positive Alexis wasn't going to like it.

"The manager admitted that the Jag backed up in front of Room 209, the room Wilson rented, on the morning of 4th. The dark haired man who happened to be wearing a Rolex, paid the manager to stay away from the room for awhile."

"Why didn't he tell the cops this?"

Flushing V took an interest in her coffee. "You have to know how to ask."

"Why V," he drawled. "Did you get rough with someone without me?"

Ignoring what his husky drawl was doing to her insides she strove to remain professional. "I merely did my job."

Sensing her embarrassment he decided to let the subject drop for now. "If you already interviewed the manager why are we staking out the motel?"

"Because I'm waiting for the housekeeper to show up. She quit a few days ago and is supposed to pick up her last check tonight. She was the one who was supposed to clean Wilson's room that morning, I want to see what she knows."

Jax wondered what the chances were in getting her to leave tonight and find the woman in the morning. Studying her set face in the dim light he realized he didn't have a prayer. Swallowing the groan and knowing better than to complain he shifted in the low slung car and tried to get as comfortable as he could. As a date he would readily admit this was a new experience for him, but if it made her happy he was willing to try it, after all that was what massage therapists were for.

Penthouse 4

Carly was feeling decidedly uneasy. Sonny's words jarred her, but the flat delivery of them concerned her. Could she have driven Sonny to the point of … she couldn't let herself finish the thought.

"Basically you need to disappear," Sonny went on unaware of the direction Carly's mind had turned.

Disappear? She didn't want to believe he meant anything sinister by the word but it wasn't in her nature to believe in someone. All her life she had driven the people around her crazy. She would hurt them enough that they pushed her away or just flat out left her. Jason was the only person who had never fully given up on her which was surprising considering she had hurt him almost more than any other. He had stuck around and ultimately forgave her for her mistakes. He stuck because he cared for her.

Sonny was another story. Sonny didn't like her very much, especially not recently, sometimes she wondered if he ever liked her. She knew he didn't like closed in spaces, and thanks to her, he was facing 25 years in a small windowless cell. Was there any wonder that he might have grown to hate her? If he hated her was it that far of a step to contemplate killing her? His own demigod of an attorney was telling him if she testified he was going to prison. She had a right to be concerned. Carly didn't want to think this way. She wanted to think better of the man she'd fallen in love with. She wanted to believe he was the man who'd been so careful with her after she'd lost their baby. She knew the man he was with her son, the way he didn't car if Michael dripped ice cream on one of his expensive suits. That was the man she was in love with, that was the man she had to believe he was deep down.

Losing himself in his aged scotch, Sonny was oblivious to the turmoil his drinking companion was feeling. In spite of the numbness that he was chasing with the scotch, his mind kept focusing on the penthouse across the hall. The penthouse the woman he loved was talking, please god let them just be talking, with her fiancé. At times he tried to convince himself that he would be willing to let Alexis go if she were happy. He'd never had to test that promise because she wasn't happy. Ned was incapable of loving any woman enough to truly make them happy, and yet Ned was the one who was in her penthouse while he was drinking scotch. Incensed with his thoughts he slammed the glass down on the low coffee table so hard the glass cracked.

The glass shattering spooked Carly enough that she began to speak. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't have very many options," he muttered darkly, his mind on a completely different matter. He couldn't kill Ned no matter how satisfying that would be, Alexis would never forgive him, besides for some strange reason there were times Jason actually liked Ned.

"Don't do anything crazy." Carly was now convinced she was arguing for her life.

"Crazy?" Sonny repeated his focus shifting to her. "You're the one that does crazy things." He downed the liquid in his glass. "What I'm considering is pure insanity."

Perplexed Carly took a risk and touched his arm. "What do you mean?"

The sound of knocking on the door drew his attention form her and he headed for it, tossing off the answer to her question while he moved. "I either have to send you away for 7 years or I have to marry you."

Shock slammed into her along with his words. She had to have misheard him, because it sounded like he said something about marriage.

"What?" Sonny's irritation faded the instant he recognized his late night visitor. "Alexis."

Alexis warned herself not to respond to his dimples. "I know it's late, but I wanted to…"

"You want to marry me?" Carly was finally able to form a question.

Alexis felt a shaft of pain and possibly even jealousy go through her at the blonde's question and withdrew. "I see you've made up your mind." With that she pivoted and stalked to her own penthouse and slammed the door hard.

Sonny could only watch her go.

Quartermaine's

I lost a friend today. I lost my oldest friend today and I'm not sure how to handle it. 

The words stood out on the pages of her diary and Emily could only stare at them. At one point she would have argued with her entire family at once, secure in the knowledge that her and Lucky would always be friends but now she wasn't so sure. She had been convinced that if there were something wrong with Lucky they could fix it. After all they had been able to solve every other problem they had faced. But the memory of his accusations, his irrational anger, made her doubt that belief. The bruises on her skin made her doubt that they would be able to fix him. Even if they could there was some damage that had already been done that probably couldn't be repaired. 

Elizabeth had moved on, she could admit that now. She wasn't sure that Elizabeth would come back if she found out about Lucky's problem, she wasn't sure she'd want Elizabeth to come back just because Lucky had a problem. Elizabeth had moved on, she was happier than she'd been in months, and that happiness coincided with her brother's return and she still wasn't sure how she felt about that.

How could she encourage Elizabeth to stand by Lucky if it would make Jason unhappy? How could she encourage Elizabeth to move on and hurt Lucky? How could she be everybody's friend and not hurt anyone? She didn't think that was possible. No matter how this situation eventually resolved itself someone was bound to get hurt.

It was a confusing situation. Closing her diary she set it on the nightstand next to the phone. Without stopping to think she picked up the phone and dialed a number from memory. When the first ring sounded in her ear she noticed it was well after 1:00 am, she groaned at the knowledge but didn't hang up. The phone rang a few more times before the answering machine clicked on. Surprised Emily hung up the phone. Elizabeth always answered her phone no matter what time it was. If she didn't answer it meant she wasn't home. She wondered where Elizabeth was and if her absence from her apartment had anything to do with her brother's phone call of earlier.

Jag

"We have to do this Nikolas we've come too far to back out now." Elizabeth reminded him when her friend grimaced again.

"I know it's just risky."

"Not as risky as moving a body from one car to another in the middle of a rave," she pointed out tartly.

"I agree. But we're going to be exposed for awhile I don't like that."

"Nikolas we're taking every precaution we can. We've tried to eliminate all the potential evidence, I swiped the plastic from the docks a few weeks ago, even the weather is cooperating, we've only seen one car since we turned on the road."

"You've been thinking about this for a long time," he realized.

"I've been thinking about it since the day we found Emily in the hotel. If we had any brains that day we would have cleaned up the room and left his body where it was."

"We couldn't risk anyone linking Emily to the body, " Nikolas reminded her. That was a belief he had to cling to, otherwise these past 6 weeks of hell had been for nothing, and that was unacceptable.

"We would have given Emily an alibi if she needed it. I would have had no problem lying to the police to protect her, I know you would have too." Sighing Elizabeth shook what might have been away. "I guess it doesn't matter now. We didn't do any of those things. The reality is we have a dead body in the trunk we're trying to dispose us without leaving any evidence or getting caught."

"You've been going on about trace evidence and how to destroy it all night. Do you have a degree in forensics that I'm not aware of?" Nikolas asked and looked over in curiosity when she didn't respond. Elizabeth had taken a sudden interest in the night outside her window. "Elizabeth?"

"Uhm, well," she didn't want to admit the truth.

"Elizabeth?"

"I've been watching a lot of TV, Court TV actually, there's a show called Forensic Files that's really helpful," she admitted sheepishly.

Nikolas could only groan. They were risking prison based on a plan she got from a television program. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "When do you watch this show?"

"At night when I can't sleep."

"Perfect," he threw up his hands and shook his head in disgust. "You get an idea from a TV show that you watch on a TV that I got you as a belated Christmas present, and now we have a dead body in the trunk. Tell me how this is better than Lucky's plan?"

He looked so aghast, so upset that her knowledge came from a TV he'd bought her, she couldn't help but react. The giggle slipped out before she could stop it and she quickly tried to muffle it into a cough. "It's very informative," she explained when he glared at her. Suddenly the absurdity of what she was doing caught up with her and another laugh was soon begging to be released. She tried to stop it, this wasn't a laughing matter but the harder she tried not to laugh the more she wanted to.

Growing concerned when Elizabeth abruptly buried her face in her hands Nikolas reached over and awkwardly patted her back. "Don't cry Elizabeth your plan isn't that bad," her body began to shake at his words. "It's okay."

"I know," Elizabeth finally gasped out and raised her head.

She wasn't crying she was laughing. "It's not funny."

"No it's not," she agreed and tried to stop. "It's just I remembered your face when you walked into the Suds of Fun you looked like you just discovered something rank and then when you went to sit on the machines," she broke off on another laugh. "And now we have a body in the trunk."

In spite of himself the urge to laugh was gradually overtaking him. "I've never been in a Laundromat."

"I know, no one will believe me when I tell them you were there. I should have taken a picture I could have sold it to the Tattler with the headline, _The Prince and his Suds_.

This time they both broke up. The two friends laughed for in that moment it was either a time to laugh or a time to cry.

Cliff Road

Zander Smith was cursing himself a fool. Had he stuck to his plan he would have been lost in Canada by now. But no he had to listen to his conscience. Hell he hadn't been aware he still had a conscience until he'd been faced with the border into Canada and found that he couldn't go past it. The car seemed to turn of it's own accord and he began to make the trek back the way he'd come. He had to warn Elizabeth to stay away from the rave. Whatever conscience he still managed to have wouldn't survive if something happened to the girl and he could have stopped it. 

So he had returned to a town he had no business being in trying to find a girl who probably thought he was a murderer and to warn her about the actual murderer and his plans for her. He knew where she worked, and his bad luck had held, she was off. He couldn't afford to hang around waiting for her to show, by now Sorel's people would probably be looking for him. She had kept him from knowing where she lived, he knew the general vicinity but not the building, so finding her there wasn't an option, so he'd checked the phone book. She wasn't listed but Emily Quartermaine was.

The Quartermaine estate was easy to find, houses that sprawled over a half acre tended to be. He was surprised by the lack of security the place had, but put that down to the eccentricity of the rich. Once he found her home he was uncertain what to do next. If he knocked on the door he could be dealing with a parent and that was one scene he did his best to avoid, if he suddenly appeared at her window, on the off chance he could find hers, he imagined he'd soon be hearing the sound of sirens. He'd waited in the bushes not sure of what to do when a Jag pulled up.

Stepping back to make sure he wasn't seen he was relieved when Emily stepped out of the car and headed for the house. His relief was short-lived, soon Gia's self-described Boy-Toy exited the car after Emily. Judging from the closeness of the couple he had a feeling that Gia had lied about her relationship with Nikolas the way she had lied about everything else in her life. Nikolas soon left but before he could get Emily's attention she'd disappeared inside the mausoleum.

So now here he was back on the road out of town. His return trip had been a bust, but it seemed to have quieted his conscience. He'd tried to warn Elizabeth, it wasn't his fault she wasn't around to be warned. Sorel was getting way out of control, and that was his cue to leave. Elizabeth was on her own, it was a fact of life he was used to, and felt it was high time for Elizabeth to learn it as well. Turning the radio up full blast he tried to lose himself in the music, and drown out the memory of Elizabeth's pretty eyes and the bruises on Emily Quartermaine's arms. After all it wasn't his problem.

Docks

"You should have kept me informed," Francis sniped in a hushed whisper.

"Me?" Johnny hissed. "You're the one that has this big brother relationship going on with Elizabeth why didn't you pick up on any of this?"

Ignoring the question Francis kept his eye on his target. The reason he hadn't picked up on Elizabeth's problem was because she had been avoiding him, and he'd let her because he'd been busy planning his trip to New York. Infuriated with himself for not realizing she was in trouble and tired of trailing Roscoe he made a decision. "Let's take him."

"Finally." Johnny cracked his knuckles in anticipation. "You take point I'll catch him from behind."

Approving of the plan Francis nodded. Roscoe and him went way back, it would be good to renew the rivalry. He waited a minute for Johnny to get into position then made his presence known. "Roscoe just the man I've been looking for."

"I'll call you back Faith," Roscoe closed his phone and tucked it in his pocket. "I heard you were out of town Carnivale."

"I'm back," Francis moved closer. "I need some answers from you."

Roscoe reached for his gun only to stop when he felt a gun being pressed to the back of his head. "This is unexpected Carnivale, usually you like fair fights, right side," he informed the man who was patting him down.

Johnny removed the gun from the holster and continued to check for more.

"I don't have the time to waste with you that I normally do Roscoe. You're going to tell me what you know about Zander Smith and Elizabeth Webber."

"Or?" Roscoe bluffed his calmness when the other man moved closer.

"Or," Francis flicked open a switchblade that boasted a blade well past what was legal. "I'll give you a scar that matches the one I left on you last time we talked. What's it to be? You'll talk eventually we both know that, the only question is how much pain do you want to endure before you do?"

"I'd listen to him," Johnny prompted from behind. "We called him home from vacation, he's not in a good mood."

Seething Roscoe figured the odds. With a man holding a gun on him and Carnivale with a knife he knew he couldn't win, at least not at the moment. "The boss wants a one on one with the Webber girl."

"And Smith comes in how?"

"He's a Rave Rat. She's going to a rave tomorrow night. He's supposed to drug her and deliver her to Sorel." Roscoe caught a glimpse of something over Carnivale's shoulder and knew the odds had just swung back in his favor. "Smith will Zander her to Sorel just like he did before."

"What?" Francis demanded and caught the whiff of a trap a second too late. By the time he turned to face his attacker the man was on him. Dimly he was aware that Johnny had been rushed the same time he was. Gunshots rang out over the docks disturbing the late night peace of the softly falling rain.

Jag

"We're here." Elizabeth announcement was unnecessary, as the car had been stopped for minutes now. Their laughter had also died about the time he'd switched the engine off. "All we have to do is dump the body, destroy our tracks, and go home."

"What about the notifying the police?" Nikolas asked, anything to stall the inevitable.

"They're working on the road up ahead." She gestured to a barely visible road construction sign. "They'll find the body and report it in the morning."

"I suppose we should finish then," Nikolas reluctantly opened his door and stepped out into the steadily falling rain.

"Nikolas about before. I wasn't trying to be insensitive," Elizabeth tried to explain the unexplainable when she joined him at the trunk.

"It's alright Elizabeth. At that time it was either laugh or go insane," he calmed her fear. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah."

Nikolas opened the trunk and they began the laborious process of trying to maneuver a frozen body in full rigor mortis from the trunk. They had just got him to the edge, half in and half out of the trunk when headlights washed over them.

Luke's

The bullet passed close enough to her cheek that her hair actually moved and she could feel the trace of heat that had warmed her skin in the wake of the bullet's passing. Incredulous at his audacity she could only cup her cheek and stare at him in shock. All of her curses, her anger, her indignation had dried up at his unexpected maneuver. Gamesmanship was how Luke and her normally communicated, not overt violence, that was too déé.

"Damn. The sights on this piece of shit must be off." Luke grumbled loudly and glared at the gun still in his hand.

Finding her voice Helena strove to take charge again. "Luke…"

"Shut up Helena," he ordered in a voice as cold as she'd ever heard. "You can lie to me all you want, you can try to pin everything on Faison but it won't matter. You and Faison and every thing you did to my son were one and the same. You killed Faison so that leaves you to pay for everything. The image of you and Fu Manchu washing each other's backs almost blinds me but that's exactly what you two did. Faison may have done the dirty work, but you were pulling the strings the whole time."

Helena hadn't survived being one of the most hated Cassadine's of all time without a great deal of strength and cunning. Calling on that now she adopted an amused expression. "I'm tired of your plebian accusations." Forcing herself to walk slowly she headed for the door.

Luke waited until she reached it before speaking. "The next time I point a gun at you Helena I won't miss. So I'd be using those eyes in the back of your head that you got when you made a deal with the devil, and keep watch for me." When the door slammed he blew out another smoke ring and grinned. He'd definitely won that round with the Queen of the Damned.

Insult, fear, and humiliation swirled inside of her and it was the humiliation that she couldn't tolerate. Luke needed to be taught that there were consequences for his actions. He needed to be reminded who was the one that was really in control. Pulling out her cellphone she quickly dialed a number. "Lucky I need to see you, now," when the boy started to complain she asserted her control. "Lucky protect your queen."

Jag

People said adrenaline could get a person through the most amazing things. It could sustain a runner to the end of the race, even long after their endurance was gone. People also said fear was something to be awed by, a motivator that had no equal. A mother terrified for her child could lift a car to save the child. A father with a broken leg whose house is on fire finds the strength to carry his child down a flight of stairs and through flames to safety.

Call it fear, call it adrenaline, or call it pure luck, but the moment the headlights had swung in their direction Nikolas and her had moved as one. The body had been shoved back into the trunk, and she didn't even flinch when the trunk lid connected with the body with a loud thunk. Instinctively she had shifted shielding the license plate and rested her head on his shoulder. Hopefully they would just look like a couple on the side of the road. Nikolas kept one hand on the trunk lid holding it down.

The approaching car slowed as it neared the jag and the passenger window was lowered. "Are you two having some problems?"

"No," Nikolas automatically smiled at the woman in the passenger seat. "We just needed some air."

Elizabeth saw the woman's expression change from one of curiosity into a doubtful one and couldn't blame her, not too many people got air in the middle of rainstorm. "It's not healthy to have an argument when one is behind the wheel of a car," she explained and saw understanding cross the woman's features.

"Okay, we'll be going then." 

The window was rolled up and the car continued its way down the road. They waited for the taillights to disappear before beginning to breathe again. Elizabeth collapsed on the roof of the trunk for a few seconds before realizing the lid was still open and jumping back.

"That was too close," Nikolas, stated the obvious.

"I know," she wanted to cry at the injustice of it all. "We can't leave the body here."

"Why not?" The only thing Nikolas wanted to do was to get the body out of his trunk and never think of it again.

"We were spotted." Understanding his irrational feelings of the moment she went on. "How long would it take those two to go to the cops and tell them about the young couple in the jag they spotted right beside where a dead body was found?"

Infuriated because he could see the obvious truth in her words Nikolas slammed the trunk lid down and paced away. It wasn't her fault they had been spotted. All they had needed was five more minutes and this nightmare would be over, and now they had to go someplace else and try it all over again. Reciting a chant from Tai Chi that his uncle had to calm himself he finally moved back to her. "Where?"

"I don't know," Elizabeth wailed battling her own feelings of nerve and strain. "Somewhere on the other side of town. Somewhere far enough away that those two won't even think of us when a body is discovered."

Realizing she was nearing her breaking point Nikolas slowly reached out and took her hand. "We'll find a place."

"I know we will." His kindness was her undoing and the emotions she had been clamping down all night began to show. "It's just this place was so perfect. With the roadwork we didn't have to worry about reporting a body, they would find it in a few hours. Now we have something else to figure out."

"We'll just have to give the police a lead."

"A tip," she corrected automatically and slid inside the car when he opened the door. She waited for him to get inside before speaking again. "We can't call 911 because there will be a recording."

"Why do we have to tip the cops at all? The body will be discovered eventually why don't we wait for that to happen?"

"Could you wait? Honestly could you just sit around at work tomorrow and wait for the news to finally announce they found Ted Wilson's body?" She demanded. "Besides I don't want to leave the body to the elements any longer than we have to. I know it's strange to develop a conscience after such a long time, but I don't want Ted Wilson to be punished any longer." Turning to face the window she waited for him to tell her she was behaving irrationally.

After a long minute Nikolas started the car. "We'll figure out a way to tip off the police."

Relieved Elizabeth felt a little of the worry leave her.

Docks

Johnny held out as long as he could, but eventually the numbers and seasoned fighting ability of the men attacking him became too much for him to withstand. The gun, his ace in the hole had been thrown clear by his attacker's first rush. The bullet had gone wide striking no one. His last memory before finally passing out was of Francis lying on the docks.

"Finally." Roscoe tried to shake the pain from his bruised knuckles. Corinthos' men had put up a hell of a fight, even out numbered 5 to 1 the fight had went on far longer than it should have and the result had been in doubt almost to the end.

"What do you want us to do with them?"

Roscoe would like nothing more than to slice them up and toss them into the swirling water of the river, but he knew a move like that could only happen under orders from his boss. He hated the fact that he still had to tow the line and get approval from Sorel before taking action. But he was smart enough to know how to bide his time. Sorel wouldn't last forever so if he had to wait a few more months for someone to take out Sorel he would do it. Because once Sorel was gone it would be his turn to lead. But until then he had to keep up the appearance of being a loyal right hand man, as such he reached for his phone and took some pleasure in waking his boss up.

"This had better be good," Joseph Sorel didn't believe in wasting time with hello.

Francis continued his role of playing possum. The rain falling on his face had brought him around minutes ago, but he quickly grasped the importance of playing "dead" in his current situation. Thus far none of Sorel's men realized he was faking, he observed Johnny through his eyelashes and hoped he was faking it as well. If they needed to make a run for it, Johnny was going to need to be conscious.

"I said I'd handle it." Roscoe barked into the phone then closed it with a snap. Turning angrily he began giving orders. "Get them to the car. Sorel wants them taken out of town, make sure their bodies are hard to find."

Doing his best not to groan Francis continued to play dead as they began binding his hands behind his back. Johnny and him were in a world of hurt.

Penthouse

Sonny was quiet as he made his way back to the couch. With the way Alexis had looked at him, and the way she had stormed off, he knew that any inroads he had made with her earlier in the evening were destroyed. The slam of her door was like a nail to his heart, and yet he had done nothing wrong. Nothing to earn her anger, he hadn't asked Carly to marry him, all he had done was inform her of Alexis' own suggestion. If Alexis didn't like hearing the words, she never should have even offered it as a potential out for his legal trouble. If he had hurt her, it had been unintentional, but he wasn't above feeling a little pleased that she might be feeling even a little bit of what he had felt when she had blindsided him with her suggestion earlier.

"Sonny?" Carly tried to get his attention. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Sonny poured some more scotch.

"Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?"

"Marriage?" Carly tried to keep her voice blasé. She didn't want him to know how much the idea of marrying him appealed to her.

Sonny shrugged. "It's an option, but it's not the only one."

That was hardly the declaration she had been hoping for so she pressed for more. "What do you think about it?"

Again he shrugged and headed for his familiar perch by the window to study the night. Christ he was tired. He was tired of banging his head against the wall Alexis had built in self-protection around her heart. He took things when he wanted them and could care less about the consequences, but he hadn't behaved like that with her. With Alexis he was trying to take is slow, even though slow was an alien concept to him. But he knew it was only a matter of time before he snapped, especially with Ned back in town.

"Sonny?" Carly touched his back to get his attention.

Maybe it was time to return to what he did best and that was being a selfish bastard. He had a right didn't he? After all Alexis would soon be crawling into bed with her worthless fiancé. Turning abruptly he caught Carly off-guard. Her eyes widened in surprise but before she could speak his lips were on hers. She didn't struggle, or try to pull away, in fact after a second's hesitation she began to kiss him back. The kiss was wild, violent, and a touch out of control, much like their first kiss had been. Perhaps it felt similar to him because he was feeling as self-destructive as he had that night. The night that had changed so many lives forever. He'd never claimed to be noble or even a good guy and the longer the kisses went on the less he thought at all.

Carly wasn't sure what had prompted the kiss but she wasn't complaining. In fact she was going to ride this unexpected occurrence for as long as she could.

Jag

They had traversed several roads that ran along the edge of Port Charles searching for the perfect spot to dump a body. But it seemed that wherever they went another car, a dog or something that made them nervous would happen and cause them to move on. When at one point Elizabeth had thought she'd spotted Francis in the back seat of an SUV heading out of town she knew they had to make a move soon. Her nerves weren't going to last forever, and she was nearing the end of her rope.

"Do you want to do it here?" They had been parked on the side of the road for five minutes now and so far they had seen nothing that worried him, he hoped he'd finally found the place. "Elizabeth?"

"Let's just finish it." 

Getting out of the car she went for the trunk and soon Nikolas joined her. They didn't speak as they worked, by this time they knew what needed to be done. The body was soon in position on the edge of the trunk waiting to be picked up and placed on the grass that ran beside the road. The body was still cold, and that coldness had seeped through the plastic it was wrapped in and they could both feel it. Nikolas did his best to take the majority of the weight, but Elizabeth still had a lot of the body on her end to hold up. They didn't try to make it far from the road, they didn't want to hide the body they just didn't want it right next to the road.

By the time they lowered the body to the ground both of them were exhausted and weak from the exertion. For a moment all they could do was stare down at the plastic wrapped body. The body that had made their lives a living hell for weeks now. For the first time in weeks it wasn't just a body, a problem they had to deal with, it was back to being a man and his name was Ted Wilson, and it was past time to return him to his family.

"In the back seat there's the bottle of bleach. We need to get it and roll it over our tracks so the police can't make an impression." Somehow it seemed more appropriate for her to whisper than speak so that's what she did.

Feeling the same way she did Nikolas took her arm and led her away from the body. "I'll take care of it."

Nodding mutely she opened the passenger door, while he opened the rear door. "Why did you have a sword in your trunk?" The question she'd had earlier returned to her when she saw him shift the sword to get to the bleach.

"It's an epee," he corrected automatically and hoped she'd let it drop.

"But why do you have it in your car?" Curiosity was a factor in the question but so too was the desire to think about anything other than the body that was lying a few feet away.

"I fenced with…" swallowing hard Nikolas averted his face and drew the reserve he was born with protectively around his still bruised heart. "I used to go to Wyndamere and fence with Stefan. I just haven't taken it out of the car since he disappeared."

Seeing his pain Elizabeth felt incredibly guilty. She reached out to reassure him and he shied away. Recognizing his stance she didn't try again. He wouldn't take well to her trying to comfort him. At times, like now, he made it difficult for others to offer concern or easy affection, even if it was from his closest friends.

"Earlier when I spoke of Stefan to convince you to go along with my plan, I hope you know I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know that." Closing the car door he turned to the field. "What we're doing is right, maybe in some way it will help me deal with Stefan not being here anymore. Regardless it's right to do this for…" he hesitated, "for Ted Wilson's family." It was the first time he'd let himself say the cop's name."

Penthouse

By the time someone began knocking on the door Sonny was almost too lost to care. Carly didn't seem eager to stop and answer the door, in fact she was pulling him towards the stairs.

"Sonny?"

Jason's voice came through the closed door and the effect it had was startling. Carly let go him and stepped back as he did the same with her. He didn't have to ask what she was thinking about because he was thinking the same thing. Both were remembering the night they'd had sex, and the look they had put on Jason's face when she had walked down his stairs wearing his nothing more than his shirt.

Guilt was a vicious beast and it slammed into them both hard. Carly turned and quickly disappeared up the stairs. The moment had united them in guilt much as they had once been united in grief. Reluctantly forcing himself to turn he opened the door for his best friend.

"I know it's late but I needed to talk to you." Jason stepped past Sonny and inside. "I need to know about S…" his voice trailed off when he got a good look at Sonny's face. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Sonny tried to dismiss the question.

Unconvinced Jason studied the room. It didn't take long for him to spot the shirt lying at the base of the stairs, a shirt he knew was Carly's. Shifting his attention he took in Sonny's disheveled appearance and knew what he had interrupted. The look on Sonny's face was identical to the expression he'd had that cold November night that had changed their relationship forever. 

Turning his back on Sonny Jason tried to get a handle on what he was feeling. It was true that he'd forgiven Sonny before he'd left town, but that didn't mean he had forgotten it. He had loved Carly and was coming close to falling in love with her when that night had happened. He hadn't admitted his feelings to Sonny, he hadn't even admitted them to himself. But something had changed between them after Bobbie's non-wedding to Jerry Jax. They had kissed that day and the feelings that kiss had evoked was different from any other kiss they had ever shared. But before he could figure out, what, if anything, that kiss could mean, he'd walked into this very penthouse, hurt and bleeding from a meeting gone very wrong, and found her with Sonny. Her descent down the stairs had changed everything between them.

"What did you want to ask me?" Sonny broke the uncomfortable silence.

"What are you doing Sonny?"

Carly had retrieved her robe and crept back to eavesdrop at the top of the stairs, and hearing Jason's weary question she felt even guiltier. Why did she always hurt him?

"What do you mean?" Sonny played dumb.

"Don't do that to me," Jason turned on him. "And don't lie to me. You don't love her Sonny, so don't use her, she doesn't deserve it."

Shifting guiltily on his feet Sonny looked anywhere but at Jason. "I'm not doing anything to her…"

"Sonny."

"… that she doesn't want to happen," he finished finally.

Scrubbing wearily at his face Jason wished he were anywhere else. He didn't want to get between the two of them. They were both his friends, he cared about them both, and their history was too long and to strange for him to get very involved, and yet he had too, because he knew some things they didn't seem to. 

"Tell me you love her." If Sonny could do that he would walk out the door and leave them to it.

Sonny stalled as the moment he'd been dreading had finally arrived. The moment he had to tell Jason that he'd risked their friendship for a woman he couldn't love. Realistically he knew Jason would understand his not loving Carly but that didn't mean he wanted to tell Jason the truth that very minute.

"Tell me you love her and I'll leave," Jason pressed.

"No, I don't love her," Sonny finally admitted the truth. "I never have."

Devastated by the admission Carly sank to her knees.

Jason merely nodded he'd known that was the answer he'd receive. "Then don't mess with her head. I know she's hurt you, I know she acts crazy at times, but she doesn't deserve to be used or deliberately hurt by anyone, especially not you." With that he headed for the door. "Think about it."

Sonny remained where he was when the door closed behind him. It looked like the time for self-destruction was over and for once the people he cared about weren't lying in ruin.

Brushing a few tears from her face Carly headed for her room. Sonny's words had hurt but they weren't that unexpected, she'd known for weeks that he wasn't in love with her. Still she wasn't sure if she was relieved or upset that Jason had interrupted them when he did. She did know that she was grateful for Jason's support. In spite of the damage she had inflicted on him he still cared for her. Maybe it was time for her to try to make up for all the pain she'd caused him. The time she had been in love with Jason had been hard, but at least he hadn't been deliberately cruel towards her, at the moment that was very appealing to her.

Woods

"Keep going." A sharp voice ordered from behind. Hands bound behind their backs Johnny and Francis awkwardly made their way over the uneven terrain.

"We need to make our move soon," Francis whispered hurriedly.

"Tell that to the guys with the guns," Johnny hissed in return.

Recognizing Johnny's normal life and death behavior he didn't even bother to form a comeback. "I don't feel like being shot in the head so we better…"

"Shut up." One of Sorel's guards shoved the shotgun he was carrying painfully into Francis' ribs.

"This is far enough," the leader of the group called the party of five to a halt. "On your knees."

"Are you kidding?" Johnny asked. "These jeans are new I don't want to get mud all over them."

"How about blood?" A guard asked and shoved Johnny on his knees.

"Geesh aren't you testy, you ought to switch to decaf," Johnny muttered. Francis was shoved to his knees next to him. "Any ideas because I'm fresh out."

The only answer was the pump action of the shotgun.

Studio

Nikolas pulled the jag to the curb next to the fire hydrant in front of her building and turned off the engine, soon the only noise was the ticking of the cooling engine.

"I guess I should go up." Elizabeth opened the door and got out of the car yet moved no further

"I figured out how we can let the police know about the body, without getting caught," Nikolas emerged from the car and quickly moved to her side.

"How?" Used to his ingrained manners she didn't even bother to tell him she didn't need him to walk her to her door.

"I once had a conversation with V about when she worked at the Sheriff's Department before joining the P.C.P.D she said their budget was so small, the only calls the switchboard was set up to record were calls on the emergency line. So if I look up the main line for the Sheriff's Department tomorrow morning and report seeing a body they won't have me on tape," Nikolas explained.

"That's great." Relieved by the news she climbed the stairs to the third floor with a slight spring in her step that hadn't been there a few moments ago. "Tonight was nerve wracking but I'm really glad we did it. It's strange but I feel like we really accomplished something."

"Let's see if we get away with it first," he cautioned as they drew abreast of her door.

"All that's left is for me to tell Lucky what we did."

Since she was busy digging for her keys she missed his reaction to her words. As irrational as Lucky was behaving the last thing he wanted was for Elizabeth to be near Lucky or even worse tell him they had decided to dispose of Ted Wilson without him. He knew instinctively that Lucky was not going to take the news well, and the last thing he wanted was for Lucky to go after Elizabeth the way he'd gone after Emily earlier in the evening. "I'll tell him."

"That's okay Nikolas it was my idea," she tried to smother a yawn. "I think I'll be able to sleep tonight."

"No." His reply was sharp and very loud in the hall.

"What's wrong?"

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to sleep if she knew there was a problem with Lucky and unwilling to burden her with it, he tried to think of an excuse. "I just think we should tell Lucky together. It may have been your idea but we put it into action as a team, so it's only fitting that we tell Lucky and Emily as a team as well."

She couldn't help feeling there was more to the story than that, but was to tired to pursue it further so she merely nodded her head. "Okay, we'll tell them together."

"Promise?"

"Yes I promise," this time she wasn't able to smother the yawn and unlocked her door and turned on her light. Spying the bleach on her counter she was reminded of something. "Another thing we have to do tomorrow is clean your trunk."

"Didn't I tell you?" Nikolas asked with a small smile. "I picked up some paint last week to touch up the porch at the cottage, it will happen to spill in my trunk, I'm having my car professionally cleaned and detailed tomorrow."

"That's smart," she smiled in appreciation of his idea then kissed his cheek in farewell. She only took a step when she had another thought. "Don't forget to destroy the clothes your wearing, along with the clothes from that night, including your shoes. We were careful, but I don't think we can be too careful."

Nikolas looked mournfully down at his new, but muddy shoes and nodded. "I'll do it in the morning." Nodding Elizabeth stepped inside her apartment while he made his way down the stairs. 

Jason waited for the sound of his footsteps to fully disappear before exiting the abandoned office directly across the hall from Elizabeth's door. If anything the conversation he had just heard only confused him even more. He'd been waiting for about an hour when he'd heard them approach, keeping the door cracked he had listened in on their conversation and noted their appearance, both of them were drenched and muddy. The more he heard the more convinced he became that the problem she had was a large one not to mention a potentially dangerous one. 

Crossing to her door he prepared to knock only to hesitate before his fist made contact. He had promised to give her until tomorrow night and he didn't like to break promises. In fact in his life he'd only broken two, the last one was to Michael about always being there for him. Besides it was after 3:00 am the last thing he wanted her to know was that he'd been looking for her for hours. She was home, she was safe, he could let his questions go for the night.

Reluctantly he headed for the stairs, he would give her the time she'd asked for, but tomorrow night they were going to have a long overdue talk about a lot of things. He'd only descended two steps when he heard a door in the hall behind him open. Knowing Elizabeth was the only full-time tenant on the floor he headed back up the stairs but stayed in the shadows out of her sight. Elizabeth was standing in the hall wearing the ful robe she had been wearing that morning. While he watched she retrieved a large dark garbage bag from her studio, crossed to the trash chute and hefted it inside.

"The trash will be picked up by 8:00 am and once it gets to the landfill there will be no way for anyone to trace what's inside back to me." With that she pulled off her latex gloves and was about to throw them down the chute as well when she thought better of it. "I'll throw these out at work tomorrow." As weary as she was she felt like a huge weight had just been lifted from her shoulders. Stretching she headed for her door, a shower to wash away the night's activity would soon be followed by a trip to her bed.

Moving quickly once he heard her door lock Jason headed down the hall, past her door and down the back stairs that led to the side alley. Opening the door he stepped out into the rain and headed for nearly overflowing trash bin that was placed below the trash chute. A dark bag, he quickly realized was hers was on top of a large number of white bags. Retrieving it he headed for the security of the warehouse before opening it.

If his employees wondered why he was there at 3:15 in the morning or why he was carrying a trash bag into the building they kept it to themselves. He headed for the back of the building and opened the door that led to the industrial incinerator they had on site. Once he made sure he was the only one in the room he opened the bag. The sight of the muddy clothes she had been wearing all the way down to her shoes greeted him, in the bag as well were the items he'd spotted on her table. The trash bags, baggies, some used Q-Tips, even the full unopened bottle of bleach, were joined by some muddy rags and a small piece of industrial plastic. 

At the bottom of the bag he found a steak knife and he paused over it for a long time before tossing it into the incinerator along with the rest of the items and the bag itself. If she didn't want the bag to be traced back to her it wouldn't be. Picking up a poker he prodded the shoes until the rubber on the shoes began to melt. Staring at the hypnotic flames still visible through the grate he felt tired for the first time all night. He'd prod the fire for another 15 minutes then go back to Jake's and grab a few hours of sleep. He had a feeling he was going to need to be rested when he had his conversation with Elizabeth.

Studio

"What?" Elizabeth all but snarled the question through her closed door. In spite of her wet head from her shower, she had almost been asleep when the knocking had started. Habit almost had her blindly opening the door before checking to see who it was. Only her promise to Jason had her calling through the door at the last minute instead.

"Let me in."

Puzzled by the recognition to the voice she stood on her toes and checked her peephole. "Lucky? What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you, let me in."

Again habit had her reaching automatically for the lock and then feeling uneasy for some reason she stopped. "It's late Lucky we can talk tomorrow."

"Please Elizabeth it's really important," his plea came through the door. "I need your help, you're the only who can help me."

Cursing her weakness she unlocked the door and stepped back, inviting him into her apartment.

Hoping to hear from you all.


End file.
